In recent years significant experimental advances in nano-scale fabrication techniques and in available light sources have opened the possibility to study a vast set of novel light-matter interaction scenarios, including strong coupling cases. In many situations nowadays, classical electromagnetic modeling is insufficient as quantum effects, both in matter and light, start to play an important role

We present an overview of quantitative and label-free optical methods used to characterize living biological tissues, with an emphasis on emerging applications in clinical tissue diagnostics. Specifically, this review focuses on diffuse optical spectroscopy, imaging, and tomography, optical coherence-based techniques, and non-linear optical methods for molecular imaging. The potential for non- or minimally-invasive

The emergence of large-scale connectivity and synchronization are crucial to the structure, function and failure of many complex socio-technical networks. Thus, there is great interest in analyzing phase transitions to large-scale connectivity and to global synchronization, including how to enhance or delay the onset. These phenomena are traditionally studied as second-order phase transitions where

Magnetic field can influence photoluminescence, electroluminescence, photocurrent, injection current, and dielectric constant in organic materials, organic–inorganic hybrids, and nanoparticles at room temperature by re-distributing spin populations, generating emerging phenomena including magneto-photoluminescence, magneto-electroluminescence, magneto-photocurrent, magneto-electrical current, and magneto-dielectrics

We review developments in the theoretical description and understanding of plutonium in terms of a metal with itinerant (band) 5f electrons. Within this picture most facets of this remarkable and anomalous material are accurately described by first-principle, parameter-free, density-functional-theory (DFT) calculations. We show that the model explains plutonium’s phase stability, elasticity, lattice

This is an introductory review of the physics of topological quantum matter with cold atoms. Topological quantum phases, originally discovered and investigated in condensed matter physics, have recently been explored in a range of different systems, which produced both fascinating physics findings and exciting opportunities for applications. Among the physical systems that have been considered to realize

The discovery of magnetism by the ancient Greeks was enabled by the natural occurrence of lodestone – a magnetized version of the mineral magnetite. Nowadays, natural minerals continue to inspire the search for novel magnetic materials with quantum-critical behaviour or exotic ground states such as spin liquids. The recent surge of interest in magnetic frustration and quantum magnetism was largely

Thermoelectric generators, capable of directly converting heat into electricity, hold great promise for tackling the ever-increasing energy sustainability issue. The thermoelectric energy conversion efficiency is heavily dependent upon the materials’ performance that is quantified by the dimensionless figure-of-merit (ZT). Therefore, the central issue in the research of thermoelectric materials lies

Thermoelectric generators, capable of directly converting heat into electricity, hold great promise for tackling the ever-increasing energy sustainability issue. The thermoelectric energy conversion efficiency is heavily dependent upon the materials’ performance that is quantified by the dimensionless figure-of-merit (ZT). Therefore, the central issue in the research of thermoelectric materials lies

Controlling transport in quantum systems holds the key to many promising quantum technologies. Here we review the power of symmetry as a resource to manipulate quantum transport and apply these ideas to engineer novel quantum devices. Using tools from open quantum systems and large deviation theory, we show that symmetry-mediated control of transport is enabled by a pair of twin dynamic phase transitions

Controlling transport in quantum systems holds the key to many promising quantum technologies. Here we review the power of symmetry as a resource to manipulate quantum transport and apply these ideas to engineer novel quantum devices. Using tools from open quantum systems and large deviation theory, we show that symmetry-mediated control of transport is enabled by a pair of twin dynamic phase transitions

Magnetic fields are now available to 100 T (pulsed), 45 T (static) at temperatures below 0.3 K. Such technical developments allow the study and tuning of (quantum) phase transitions, unusual magnetic structures and (high-temperature) superconductors in a variety of quantum materials. An especially important class of strongly correlated electron materials is the heavy Fermi liquids (HFLs) displaying

Magnetic fields are now available to 100 T (pulsed), 45 T (static) at temperatures below 0.3 K. Such technical developments allow the study and tuning of (quantum) phase transitions, unusual magnetic structures and (high-temperature) superconductors in a variety of quantum materials. An especially important class of strongly correlated electron materials is the heavy Fermi liquids (HFLs) displaying

Inverse problems in statistical physics are motivated by the challenges of ‘big data’ in different fields, in particular high-throughput experiments in biology. In inverse problems, the usual procedure of statistical physics needs to be reversed: Instead of calculating observables on the basis of model parameters, we seek to infer parameters of a model based on observations. In this review, we focus

‘Conventional’ superconductivity, as used in this review, refers to electron–phonon-coupled superconducting electron pairs described by BCS theory. Unconventional superconductivity refers to superconductors where the Cooper pairs are not bound together by phonon exchange but instead by exchange of some other kind, e.g. spin fluctuations in a superconductor with magnetic order either coexistent or nearby

This work provides an up-to-date account of the use of electron-volt neutron spectroscopy in materials research. This is a growing area of neutron science, capitalising upon the unique insights provided by epithermal neutrons on the behaviour and properties of an increasing number of complex materials. As such, the present work builds upon the aims and scope of a previous contribution to this journal

Transparent conductors (TCs) are materials, which are characterized by high transmission of light and simultaneously very high electrical DC conductivity. These materials play a crucial role, and made possible numerous applications in the fields of electro-optics, plasmonics, biosensing, medicine, and “green energy”. Modern applications, for example in the field of touchscreen and flexible displays

(2016). Editorial Board. Advances in Physics: Vol. 65, No. 6, pp. Ebi-Ebi.

Many questions of fundamental interest in today's science can be formulated as inference problems: some partial, or noisy, observations are performed over a set of variables and the goal is to recover, or infer, the values of the variables based on the indirect information contained in the measurements. For such problems, the central scientific questions are: Under what conditions is the information

The glass transition is the most enduring grand-challenge problem in contemporary condensed matter physics. Here, we review the contribution of colloid experiments to our understanding of this problem. First, we briefly outline the success of colloidal systems in yielding microscopic insights into a wide range of condensed matter phenomena. In the context of the glass transition, we demonstrate their

This review gives a pedagogical introduction to the eigenstate thermalization hypothesis (ETH), its basis, and its implications to statistical mechanics and thermodynamics. In the first part, ETH is introduced as a natural extension of ideas from quantum chaos and random matrix theory (RMT). To this end, we present a brief overview of classical and quantum chaos, as well as RMT and some of its most

In the last two decades non-equilibrium spectroscopies have evolved from avant-garde studies to crucial tools for expanding our understanding of the physics of strongly correlated materials. The possibility of obtaining simultaneously spectroscopic and temporal information has led to insights that are complementary to (and in several cases beyond) those attainable by studying the matter at equilibrium

The dynamics of heavy particles suspended in turbulent flows is of fundamental importance for a wide range of questions in astrophysics, atmospheric physics, oceanography, and technology. Laboratory experiments and numerical simulations have demonstrated that heavy particles respond in intricate ways to turbulent fluctuations of the carrying fluid: non-interacting particles may cluster together and

Multiferroics are those materials with more than one ferroic order, and magnetoelectricity refers to the mutual coupling between magnetism (spins and/or magnetic field) and electricity (electric dipoles and/or electric field). In spite of the long research history in the whole twentieth century, the discipline of multiferroicity has never been so highly active as that in the first decade of the twenty-first

We review a theory for coupled many-nonlinear oscillator systems that describes quantum ergodicity and energy flow in molecules. The theory exploits the isomorphism between quantum energy flow in Fock space, that is, vibrational state space, and single-particle quantum transport in disordered solid-state systems. The quantum ergodicity transition in molecules is thereby analogous to the Anderson transition

The random first-order transition theory of the structural glass transition is reviewed in a pedagogical fashion. The rigidity that emerges in crystals and glassy liquids is of the same fundamental origin. In both cases, it corresponds with a breaking of the translational symmetry; analogies with freezing transitions in spin systems can also be made. The common aspect of these seemingly distinct phenomena

Over a long period of exploration, the successful observation of quantized version of anomalous Hall effect (AHE) in thin film of magnetically doped topological insulator (TI) completed a quantum Hall trio—quantum Hall effect (QHE), quantum spin Hall effect (QSHE), and quantum anomalous Hall effect (QAHE). On the theoretical front, it was understood that the intrinsic AHE is related to Berry curvature

The most recent light sources, extreme ultraviolet (EUV) and X-ray free electron lasers (FELs), have extended tabletop laser experiments to shorter wavelengths, adding element and chemical state specificity by exciting and probing electronic transitions from core levels. Through their unique properties, combining femtosecond X-ray pulses with coherence and enormous peak brightness, the FELs have enabled

Technological progress in material synthesis, as well as artificial realization of condensed matter scenarios via ultra-cold atomic gases in optical lattices or epitaxial growth of thin films, is opening the gate to investigate a plethora of unprecedented strongly correlated electron systems. In a large subclass thereof, a metallic state of layered electrons undergoes an ordering transition below some

(2013). Editorial Board. Advances in Physics: Vol. 62, No. 4-6, pp. ebi-ebi.

We review the methods and use of random quantum states with particular emphasis on recent theoretical developments and applications in various fields. The guiding principle of the review is the idea that random quantum states can be understood as classical probability distributions in the Hilbert space of the associated quantum system. We show how this central concept connects questions of physical

In this review, we discuss the persistence and the related first-passage properties in extended many-body nonequilibrium systems. Starting with simple systems with one or few degrees of freedom, such as random walk and random acceleration problems, we progressively discuss the persistence properties in systems with many degrees of freedom. These systems include spin models undergoing phase-ordering

The unique plasma-specific features and physical phenomena in the organization of nanoscale soild-state systems in a broad range of elemental composition, structure, and dimensionality are critically reviewed. These effects lead to the possibility to localize and control energy and matter at nanoscales and to produce self-organized nano-solids with highly unusual and superior properties. A unifying

Despite their overwhelming complexity, living cells display a high degree of internal mechanical and functional organization which can largely be attributed to the intracellular biopolymer scaffold, the cytoskeleton. Being a very complex system far from thermodynamic equilibrium, the cytoskeleton's ability to organize is at the same time challenging and fascinating. The extensive amounts of frequently

The structure of our material world is characterized by a large hierarchy of length scales that determines material properties and functions. Increasing spatial resolution in optical imaging and spectroscopy has been a long standing desire, to provide access, in particular, to mesoscopic phenomena associated with phase separation, order, and intrinsic and extrinsic structural inhomogeneities. A general

(2012). Editorial Board. Advances in Physics: Vol. 61, No. 6, pp. ebi-ebi.

Here, we review the basic concepts and applications of the phase-field-crystal (PFC) method, which is one of the latest simulation methodologies in materials science for problems, where atomic- and microscales are tightly coupled. The PFC method operates on atomic length and diffusive time scales, and thus constitutes a computationally efficient alternative to molecular simulation methods. Its intense

The heavy fermion systems present a unique platform in which strong electronic correlations give rise to a host of novel, and often competing, electronic and magnetic ground states. Amongst a number of potential experimental tools at our disposal, measurements of the Hall effect have emerged as a particularly important one in discerning the nature and evolution of the Fermi surfaces of these enigmatic

This article reviews the static and dynamic properties of spontaneous superstructures formed by electrons. Representations of such electronic crystals are charge density waves (CDW) and spin density waves in inorganic as well as organic low-dimensional materials. A special attention is paid to the collective effects in pinning and sliding of these superstructures, and the glassy properties at low temperature

This review provides an overview of recent advances that have been achieved in understanding the basic physics of friction and energy dissipation in molecularly thin adsorbed films and the associated impact on friction at microscopic and macroscopic length scales. Topics covered include a historical overview of the fundamental understanding of macroscopic friction, theoretical treatments of phononic

(2012). Onward and upwards: the Advance accelerates. Advances in Physics: Vol. 61, No. 3, pp. 153-153.

Electron spin resonance-scanning tunneling microscopy (ESR-STM) is a rapidly developing surface-science technique that is sensitive to a single spin existing on or nearby a solid surface. The single spin is detected through elevated noise at the Larmor frequency that appears when the single spin participates in the tunneling process between the tip and the surface. In this review, experimental and

Micromagnetics has been the method of choice to interpret experimental data in the area of microscopic magnetism for several decades. In this article, we show how progress has been made to extend this formalism to include thermal and quantum fluctuations in order to describe recent experimental developments in nanoscale magnetism. For experimental systems with constrained dimensions such as nanodots

(2011). Editorial Board. Advances in Physics: Vol. 60, No. 6, pp. ebi-ebi.

In this article, we review the state of the art on the transport properties of quantum dot systems connected to superconducting and normal electrodes. The review is mainly focused on the theoretical achievements, although a summary of the most relevant experimental results is also given. A large part of the discussion is devoted to the single-level Anderson-type models generalized to include superconductivity

Plasma physics is a very mature field, studied extensively for well over a century. The cross-disciplinary field of plasmonics (electromagnetics of metallic nanostructures), on the other hand, with its potential for an extraordinary light control through novel class of materials and the resulting applications, has become very fashionable only recently. Inevitably, as a result of this rapid development

An algebraic theory of dualities is developed based on the notion of bond algebras. It deals with classical and quantum dualities in a unified fashion explaining the precise connection between quantum dualities and the low temperature (strong-coupling)/high temperature (weak-coupling) dualities of classical statistical mechanics (or (Euclidean) path integrals). Its range of applications includes discrete

Ever since the discovery of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) by Iijima in 1991, there have been extensive research efforts on their synthesis, physics, electronics, chemistry, and applications due to the fact that CNTs were predicted to have extraordinary physical, mechanical, chemical, optical, and electronic properties. Among the various forms of CNTs, single-walled and multi-walled, random and aligned, semiconducting

(2011). Advancing in Physics. Advances in Physics: Vol. 60, No. 4, pp. 551-552.

This paper reviews progress that has been made in the use of Raman spectroscopy to study graphene and carbon nanotubes. These are two nanostructured forms of sp2 carbon materials that are of major current interest. These nanostructured materials have attracted particular attention because of their simplicity, small physical size and the exciting new science they have introduced. This review focuses

The success of new scientific areas can be assessed by their potential in contributing to new theoretical approaches and in applications to real-world problems. Complex networks have fared extremely well in both of these aspects, with their sound theoretical basis being developed over the years and with a variety of applications. In this survey, we analyze the applications of complex networks to real-world

Relaxor ferroelectrics were discovered in the 1950s but many of their properties are not understood. In this review, we shall concentrate on materials such as PMN (PbMg1/3Nb2/3O3), which crystallize in the cubic perovskite structure but with the Mg ion, charge 2+, and the Nb ion, charge 5+, randomly distributed over the B site of the perovskite structure. The peak of the dielectric susceptibility for

Memory effects are ubiquitous in nature and are particularly relevant at the nanoscale where the dynamical properties of electrons and ions strongly depend on the history of the system, at least within certain time scales. We review here the memory properties of various materials and systems which appear most strikingly in their non-trivial, time-dependent resistive, capacitative and inductive characteristics

(2011). Diamond Anniversary of Advances in Physics. Advances in Physics: Vol. 60, No. 1, pp. 1-3.

Oxides have become a key ingredient for new concepts of electronic devices. To a large extent, this is due to the profusion of new physics and novel functionalities arising from ultrathin oxide films and at oxide interfaces. We present here a perspective on selected topics within this vast field and focus on two main issues. The first part of this review is dedicated to the use of ultrathin films of

(2011). Editorial. Advances in Physics: Vol. 60, No. 1, pp. 85-86.

(2011). Amorphous carbon. Advances in Physics: Vol. 60, No. 1, pp. 87-144.

The response of the worldwide scientific community to the discovery in 2008 of superconductivity at T c = 26 K in the Fe-based compound LaFeAsO1−x F x has been very enthusiastic. In short order, other Fe-based superconductors with the same or related crystal structures were discovered with T c up to 56 K. Many experiments were carried out and theories formulated to try to understand the basic properties

(2010). Lord Flowers: 1924–2010. Advances in Physics: Vol. 59, No. 6, pp. 1191-1191.

(2010). Erratum. Advances in Physics: Vol. 59, No. 6, pp. e1193-e1193.