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Nature Physics
Nature Physics offers news and reviews alongside top-quality research papers in a monthly publication, covering the entire spectrum of physics. Physics addresses the properties and interactions of matter and energy, and plays a key role in the development of a broad range of technologies. To reflect this, Nature Physics covers all areas of pure and applied physics research. The journal focuses on core physics disciplines, but is also open to a broad range of topics whose central theme falls within the bounds of physics.
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Gauge theories on a quantum computer
Nature Physics, Published online: 23 January 2025; doi:10.1038/s41567-024-02758-9
Many important models in theoretical physics — including the standard model of particle physics — are governed by local ‘gauge’ symmetries. Now, a quantum computer has successfully simulated a lattice gauge theory by leveraging this rich symmetry structure.
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Time-hidden magnetic order in a multi-orbital Mott insulator
Nature Physics, Published online: 23 January 2025; doi:10.1038/s41567-024-02752-1
Searches for metastable states with properties not found in thermal equilibrium have been restricted to either ultrafast or slow timescales. A metastable state in an intermediate time window has now been identified in a photo-doped Mott insulator.
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Free-electron quantum optics
Nature Physics, Published online: 22 January 2025; doi:10.1038/s41567-024-02743-2
Free-electron quantum optics is an emerging field that requires a quantum-mechanical description of both the electronic and the optical contributions. This Perspective summarizes recent developments and discusses challenges and opportunities.
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Tissue wrinkles foreshadow cancer
Nature Physics, Published online: 22 January 2025; doi:10.1038/s41567-024-02763-y
In a cancer mouse model, wrinkling patterns in bladder-lining tissue differ from their healthy counterparts. Changes in tissue-mechanical properties that alter elastic buckling instabilities explain this observation.
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Programmable simulations of molecules and materials with reconfigurable quantum processors
Nature Physics, Published online: 22 January 2025; doi:10.1038/s41567-024-02738-z
Quantum simulations of chemistry and materials are challenging due to the complexity of correlated systems. A framework based on reconfigurable qubit architectures and digital–analogue simulations provides a hardware-efficient path forwards.
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Where analogue and digital meet
Nature Physics, Published online: 22 January 2025; doi:10.1038/s41567-024-02755-y
Realizing a useful quantum advantage on noisy intermediate-scale quantum hardware is challenging. A proposal now suggests a hybrid digital–analogue hardware-efficient approach for reconfigurable qubit platforms to simulate strongly interacting matter.
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Antihydrogen’s more than fine spectrum
Nature Physics, Published online: 21 January 2025; doi:10.1038/s41567-024-02733-4
Antihydrogen is the simplest atom of pure antimatter. Measurements of a pair of ultraviolet spectral lines with laser spectroscopy provide stringent bounds on the magnitude by which a symmetry between matter and antimatter may be violated.
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Floquet–Bloch manipulation of the Dirac gap in a topological antiferromagnet
Nature Physics, Published online: 21 January 2025; doi:10.1038/s41567-024-02769-6
Periodic laser light can modify the electronic properties of solids and offers a path to create new material phases. In a topological antiferromagnet, periodic driving with opposite light helicities is now shown to produce distinct Dirac mass gaps.