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condensed matter physics
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Strange Metal-like Bonds Discovered in Customized Crystals
While studying materials made from DNA-coated nanoparticles, researchers found a new form of this matter: lattices in which smaller particles roam like electrons in metallic bonds.
What’s the Magic Behind Graphene’s ‘Magic’ Angle?
A new theoretical model may help explain the shocking onset of superconductivity in stacked, twisted carbon sheets.
Black, Hot Ice May Be Nature’s Most Common Form of Water
A new experiment confirms the existence of “superionic ice,” a bizarre form of water that might comprise the bulk of giant icy planets throughout the universe.
Universal Pattern Explains Why Materials Conduct
Mathematicians have found that materials conduct electricity when electrons follow a universal mathematical pattern.
With a Simple Twist, a ‘Magic’ Material Is Now the Big Thing in Physics
The stunning emergence of a new type of superconductivity with the mere twist of a carbon sheet has left physicists giddy, and its discoverer nearly overwhelmed.
Quantum Machine Appears to Defy Universe’s Push for Disorder
One of the first quantum simulators has produced a puzzling phenomenon: a row of atoms that repeatedly pops back into place.
A Child’s Puzzle Has Helped Unlock the Secrets of Magnetism
People have known about magnets since ancient times, but the physics of ferromagnetism remains a mystery. Now a familiar puzzle is getting physicists closer to the answer.
How Complex Wholes Emerge From Simple Parts
Throughout nature, throngs of relatively simple elements can self-organize into behaviors that seem unexpectedly complex. Scientists are beginning to understand why and how these phenomena emerge without a central organizing entity.
Universal Quantum Phenomenon Found in Strange Metals
Experiments suggest that exotic superconducting materials share a “strange metal” state characterized by a quantum speed limit that somehow acts as a fundamental organizing principle.