Iop Journals

Two-dimensional (2D) materials and their van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures have emerged as a powerful platform for engineering multifunctional thin-film systems with tunable electronic, optical, magnetic, and thermal properties. By vertically or laterally integrating atomically thin layers such as graphene, transition metal dichalcogenides, hexagonal boron nitride, black phosphorus, MXenes, intrinsic 2D magnets, transition metal monochalcogenides, and Janus materials, these vdW heterostructures enable the combination of complementary physical properties that are difficult to achieve in individual materials. This review provides a comprehensive overview of recent progress in the classification, synthesis, and fabrication of 2D heterostructured thin-films, with particular emphasis on interface physics and interlayer coupling mechanisms. Key phenomena including band alignment, ultrafast charge transfer, interlayer excitons, moiré superlattices, spin-orbit coupling, and magnetic proximity effects are discussed in relation to their role in determining structure-property relationships. The review further summarizes emerging device architectures based on 2D heterostructures, including optoelectronic devices, spintronic systems, neuromorphic computing platforms, sensors, and flexible electronic technologies. Finally, critical challenges associated with scalable synthesis, interface quality, environmental stability, and integration with existing semiconductor technologies are examined. A particular emphasis is placed on industrially relevant strategies, such as scalable chemical vapor deposition, direct heterostructure growth, vdW contact engineering, and machine-learning-assisted process optimization. By bridging the gap between fundamental physics and manufacturing requirements, this review provides a forward-looking roadmap for the development of reliable, scalable, and high-performance 2D heterostructure-based technologies.

That author's affiliation: Muroran Institute of Technology Institution (first & last author): Muroran Institute of Technology

This perspective overviews the family of two-dimensional (2D) materials, which have attracted significant attention due to their properties and potential applications, and discusses how novel 2D materials including van der Waals (vdW) and non-vdW 2D materials have been predicted. A few thousand 2D materials have been predicted to be exfoliable or dynamically/thermodynamically stable, whereas a few hundred 2D materials have been synthesized so far, highlighting a gap between theoretical predictions and experiments. This perspective introduces recent developments in predicting the synthesizability of non-vdW 2D materials. The key lies not in stability alone, but in the 3D–2D transition.

That author's affiliation: University of Tennessee at Knoxville Institution (first & last author): Oak Ridge National Laboratory

The rare-earth intermetallics (R = rare earth, M = Ti, Zr, Sc) provide a versatile platform to explore how Kondo hybridization, Ruderman–Kittel–Kasuya–Yosida (RKKY) exchange, magnetic frustration, and broken inversion symmetry may cooperate to generate unusual magnetic behavior. We present a comprehensive neutron scattering investigation of the magnetic structure, crystal electric field (CEF), and low-energy excitations in the locally noncentrosymmetric Kondo-lattice compounds Ce3TiBi5 and Ce3ZrBi5. Powder and single-crystal neutron diffraction reveals incommensurate cycloidal antiferromagnetic order in Ce3TiBi5 with propagation vector and a reduced ordered moment of . Ce3ZrBi5 exhibits a qualitatively similar magnetic diffraction profile, with . Inelastic neutron scattering measurements resolve two clear, well-separated CEF excitations in both compounds with nearly the same profile, confirming a well-isolated Kramers doublet ground state. At low energies, a broad, quasi-elastic magnetic response is observed at , whose momentum-dependence is inconsistent with that expected from conventional collective excitations of localized moments. This discrepancy, along with a Kondo temperature estimate  K—comparable to —indicates sizable Kondo hybridization, which accounts for the moment reduction and the spiral magnetic order that appears to involve the magnetic hard direction. Our results place these compounds in a regime where local inversion symmetry breaking, anisotropic CEF effects, and competing Kondo and RKKY interactions collectively give rise to unconventional magnetic order.

That author's affiliation: University of Central Florida Institution (first & last author): University of Central Florida

The phase-sensitive -axis twist experiments and the corresponding theoretical interpretations designed to test the orbital symmetry of the superconducting (SC) order parameter (OP) on the hole-doped high transition temperature superconductors Bi Sr CaCu O (Bi2212) and Bi Sr CuO (Bi2201) are reviewed. The primary OP candidates are the conventional -wave OP of the standard Bardeen–Cooper–Schrieffer theory based upon the generally long-range electron pairing mediated by the electron-phonon interaction, and the unconventional -wave OP that has been proposed to arise from some short-range attractive electronic pairing mechanism stronger than the Coulomb repulsion. Although major portions of the oxygen-doping phase diagrams for these compounds are complicated by the so-called pseudogap (PG) that usually arises below , a large variety of hole-doped layered superconductors, such as the transition metal dichalcogenides, are well known to exhibit charge-density waves (CDWs) forming below their . These CDWs can be either incommensurate or commensurate with the underlying crystalline lattice, and have rather recently been observed to be present in underdoped Bi2212 and YBa Cu O (YBCO). Experimental evidence for the presence of an incoherent CDW in the PG region of the phase diagram of Bi2212 is provided. Some workers assumed that the PG in the cuprates is due to a SC OP, and -axis twist experiments in the PG region claimed to provide support for a -wave OP. However in Bi2212, there is a small SC-only region in the overdoped portion of the phase diagram where no PG has been observed, so that twist experiments in that overdoped region are only sensitive to the SC OP. In the small SC-only region in the overdoped region of the Bi2212 phase diagram, the -axis twist experiments provide strong support for the conclusion that the orbital symmetry of the SC OP in both Bi2212 and Bi2201 contains at least a substantial -wave component, in agreement with scanning tunneling experiments on the electron-doped cuprate Sr Nd CuO , which does not exhibit any PG or CDW. A scanning tunneling experiment over a substantial portion of the freshly vacuum-cleaved surface of Bi2212 and the narrow linewidths of the THz emissions from three circular disk mesas of Bi2212 also provide evidence for an -wave SC OP in that material.

That author's affiliation: Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre Institution (first & last author): University of Calcutta

Heusler alloys have proven to be an efficient and versatile platform, hosting a wide variety of topological states of matter, including the anomalous Hall effect, skyrmions, chiral anomaly, Dirac and Weyl fermions, and the transverse Nernst thermoelectric effect, thermal spintronics, and topological surface states. Their tunable electronic structure and diverse ground-state properties make them ideal candidates for realising topological semimetals with optimised spin orbit coupling strength, band gaps, and related parameters. Recent studies on transition-metal-based Heusler alloys have revealed nontrivial band topology and remarkable transport responses such as the anomalous Hall and Nernst effects (AHE and ANE). In this family, topological states often arise from band inversion driven by crystal symmetry, suggesting that external stimuli can induce topological phase transitions. Moreover, the presence of transition metal elements introduces magnetism, breaking time-reversal symmetry and, when combined with the band topology, producing a finite Berry curvature that contributes to intrinsic anomalous Hall conductivity (AHC). Maximising AHC requires careful tuning of the band topology via some external stimuli, such as strain or chemical alloying. Therefore, a comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms governing band structure evolution is essential for shifting the transport behaviour of Heusler alloys from extrinsic to intrinsic regimes. In this regard, we demonstrate the recent advancements in the regime of band structure engineering techniques for enhancing the magnetic, topological and transport properties in Heusler compounds from a basic physics point of view towards their application in spintronics and quantum topological devices.

That author's affiliation: NISER First author institution: NISER Last author institution: Indian Statistical Institute

We present a comprehensive theoretical investigation of quantum transport, circular currents, and the resulting induced magnetic fields in Fibonacci rings, treating both Hermitian and non-Hermitian (NH) realizations with particular emphasis on parity-time ( )-symmetric and symmetry-broken configurations. By engineering physically balanced gain and loss distributed according to Fibonacci sequence, we construct distinct ring geometries that either preserve or explicitly violate symmetry, and further examine complementary scenarios obtained via gain–loss sign inversion of the on-site potentials. Employing the nonequilibrium Green’s function formalism, we systematically analyze transmission characteristics and bond-resolved current densities to quantify transport and circulating current responses. While the Hermitian limit serves as a reference exhibiting only weak current modulation in the presence of disorder, the introduction of non-Hermiticity results in a dramatic enhancement of both transport and circular currents, accompanied by a strong amplification of the induced magnetic field. Remarkably, we reveal that NH transport is highly sensitive to gain–loss sign inversion and, in -broken regimes, exhibits an unconventional system-size dependence governed by the parity of the Fibonacci sequence and hopping correlations. Notably, the circulating current exhibits a nonmonotonic scaling with system size, a feature entirely absent in conventional Hermitian systems. Our results establish NH Fibonacci rings as tunable platforms for amplifying transport responses through symmetry control, Fibonacci parity dependence, and gain–loss sign inversion.

That author's affiliation: University of Salerno Institution (first & last author): University of Salerno

We introduce a new measure of quantum entanglement, the orbital concurrence, designed to quantify orbital correlations in interacting multi-orbital electron systems. This quantity extends the concept of concurrence, originally developed for charge and spin degrees of freedom, to the orbital sector, providing a compact and physically transparent characterization of orbital entanglement. To test the validity and usefulness of this measure, we apply it to the single-site Anderson model, a paradigmatic and exactly solvable system that captures the essential interplay between localized correlated electrons and itinerant ones. In this framework, we derive exact, fully analytical expressions for the orbital concurrence and investigate its behavior in different regimes of interaction strength and hybridization. Our results demonstrate the diagnostic power of the proposed measure and open the way to its use in more complex multi-orbital impurities and lattice models.

That author's affiliation: University of Konstanz Institution (first & last author): University of Konstanz

Laser light cannot probe or control rotation at the single-atom level in a material. Now electron matter waves with internal torque show promise for studying and manipulating materials on atomic scales.

An experimental realization of device-independent randomness amplification is demonstrated using superconducting qubits, in which a source of weak, correlated randomness is converted into virtually perfect random bits, certified by a Bell test.

That author's affiliation: Harbin Institute of Technology Institution (first & last author): Harbin Institute of Technology

Single-crystalline Au structures are an ideal building blocks for high-performance optoelectronic and electronic devices, and the precise alignment of Au functional units on large-area substrates serves as a core driver for advancing wafer-scale integration. However, the process faces two fundamental obstacles: (1) the deterministic positioning of pre-synthesized nanocrystals at target coordinates, and (2) morphological inhomogeneity accompanied by low fabrication yield in seed-mediated in-situ grown architectures. To date, the reliable fabrication of high-quality Au microstructures with precise spatial and crystallographic alignment, as well as chemically clean surfaces, on macroscopic substrates has not yet been realized. To address this critical challenge, we propose an electrochemical selective epitaxial deposition method based on surface state modulation, which enables the reliable fabrication of high-quality Au microstructures at the wafer scale. This mask-free growth strategy yields Au microstructures with atomically flat surfaces and a highly pure single crystallographic orientation. Our work provides a promising technical solution for the construction of high-performance optoelectronic integration platforms.

That author's affiliation: University of Strathclyde Institution (first & last author): University of Strathclyde

We report a technique for scalable electro-optical on-chip addressing of semiconductor nanowire emitters via transfer-printed micro-LEDs. Thus driven individual waveguide-coupled nanowires demonstrate small-signal modulation in the 10’s MHz range at room-temperature. The integration of micro-LEDs with nanowire emitters on a chip provides localized scalable excitation without the need for external optics. This method therefore opens new routes for the realization of programmable high-density nanowire networks.

That author's affiliation: University of Vienna Institution (first & last author): University of Duisburg-Essen

Monolayer MoS2 combines a direct optical bandgap with an atomically thin geometry, making it a promising platform for defect engineering. Raman studies of ion-irradiated MoS2 are often complicated by high ion energies, incomplete defect quantification, and uncontrolled adsorbates at defect sites. Here, we irradiate large-area monolayer MoS2 with low-energy (600 eV) Ar+ ions in a ultrahigh vacuum chamber and perform in situ Raman spectroscopy over a range of fluences. Atomic-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy reveals predominantly randomly distributed sulfur vacancies as the dominant defect type. With increasing fluence, Raman spectra show a downshift and broadening of the E mode, a slight upshift and broadening of the A mode, and the emergence of defect-activated features, including a prominent LA(M) mode. A controlled ambient exposure followed by remeasurement separates intrinsic defect signatures from extrinsic doping: an additional A upshift and linewidth narrowing indicate a modest, largely reversible p-doping contribution from weak physisorption at vacancy sites, corresponding to an apparent charge transfer of ∼0.02 e per STEM-counted vacancy. Within the sensitivity of our in situ Raman measurements, oxidation-related signatures remain negligible, and adsorbate effects largely vanish upon returning to vacuum and under laser illumination. These results establish Raman fingerprints of sulfur-vacancy ensembles in monolayer MoS2 and provide quantitative guidance for defect engineering and metrology under controlled vacuum conditions.

That author's affiliation: Rice University Institution (first & last author): Rice University

Researchers realized the first truly chiral terahertz cavity with time-reversal-symmetry broken vacuum fields, with near-unity ellipticity at 0.66 THz and Q>50 under a 0.3 T field, offering a robust platform for chiral light–matter interactions.

That author's affiliation: Indian Institute of Science Bangalore Institution (first & last author): Indian Institute of Science Bangalore

Among two-dimensional magnetic materials, Chromium sulphide bromide (CrSBr) has attracted considerable attention owing to its coexistence of ferromagnetic (FM) and antiferromagnetic ordering, which depends sensitively on crystallographic orientation. An additional distinguishing feature of CrSBr is its highly anisotropic Fermi surface in momentum space. In this work, we present a comprehensive investigation of magnetoresistance (MR) by systematically orienting the bias current and the applied magnetic field along all three crystallographic axes. We demonstrate that the MR serves as a direct probe of electronic anisotropy, exhibiting pronounced variations when the current is applied along different crystallographic directions under a magnetic field perpendicular to the sample plane. For in-plane magnetic fields, we observe conventional anisotropic MR accompanied by hysteresis, indicative of FM behaviour. Overall, our study provides a complete picture of electronic transport in CrSBr as a function of bias current and magnetic field orientation with respect to crystallographic directions, thereby opening pathways for future experiments requiring high sensitivity of electrical resistance to magnetic field gradients.

Nonlinear soliton pumping has recently been observed and understood as the flow of instantaneous Wannier functions. Here, authors find an anomalous nonlinear soliton pump that differs from the linear Chern numbers, arising from soliton transitions between Wannier functions via intersite solitons.

Local quantum nondemolition measurements and optical manipulation of long-lived circular Rydberg atoms are demonstrated by coupling them to an auxiliary array of low-angular-momentum Rydberg atoms.

Using the Sierpiński gasket (triangle) and carpet (square) lattices as examples, we theoretically study the properties of fractal superconductors. For that, we focus on the phenomenon of s-wave superconductivity in the Hubbard model with attractive on-site potential and employ the Bogoliubov–de Gennes approach and the theory of superfluid stiffness. For the case of the Sierpiński gasket, we demonstrate that fractal geometry of the underlying crystalline lattice can be strongly beneficial for superconductivity, not only leading to a considerable increase of the mean-field pairing temperature as compared to the regular triangular lattice but also supporting macroscopic phase coherence of the Cooper pairs. In contrast, the Sierpiński carpet geometry does not lead to pronounced effects, and we find no substantial difference as compared with the regular square lattice. We conjecture that the qualitative difference between these cases is caused by different ramification properties of the fractals.

That author's affiliation: Bharathidasan University Institution (first & last author): Bharathidasan University

This article presents the role of non-Hermitian on-site potentials over the detached edge modes which exists in the regions of non-Hermitian skin effect (NHSE). We considered a non-Hermitian extension of Su–Schrieffer–Heeger model with competing nonreciprocal hopping with complex on-site potentials. The competing non-reciprocal hopping induce left and right NHSE (LNHSE and RNHSE) in different parametric regimes and those regimes are identified using non-Bloch band theory. In these NHSE regions, even though all the bulk modes pile up at one end of the lattice (as dictated by the hopping profile), we can observe a detached edge mode which localize at the opposite side. This detached edge mode is found to be present in the weaker regions of NHSE (or in the boundary between LNHSE and RNHSE) and there arises question about the possible ways to strengthen these detached edge modes. This article shows that the introduction of loss and gain can strengthen these detached edge modes. Remarkably, significant widening of detached edge mode is observed soon after the introduction of loss and gain. Even though the detached edge mode can persist in both LNHSE and RNHSE regimes, the form of non-reciprocal hopping at the intercell and intracell level determines how readily these modes can coexist within the LNHSE or RNHSE regions.

That author's affiliation: Tulane University First author institution: Princeton University Last author institution: Institute of Physics

Noisy monitored quantum circuits have emerged as a versatile and unifying framework connecting quantum many-body physics, quantum information, and quantum computation. In this review, we provide a comprehensive overview of recent advances in understanding the dynamics of such circuits, with an emphasis on their entanglement structure, information-protection capabilities, and noise-induced phase transitions. A central theme is the mapping to classical statistical models, which reveals how quantum noise reshapes dominant spin configurations. This framework elucidates universal scaling behaviors, including the characteristic entanglement scaling with noise probability q and distinct timescales for information protection. We further highlight a broad range of constructions and applications inspired by noisy monitored circuits, spanning variational quantum algorithms, classical simulation methods, mixed-state phases of matter, and emerging approaches to quantum error mitigation and quantum error correction. These developments collectively establish noisy monitored circuits as a powerful platform for probing and controlling quantum dynamics in realistic, decohering environments.

That author's affiliation: Karlsruhe Institute of Technology Institution (first & last author): Karlsruhe Institute of Technology

Mapping the positions of Two-Level-Systems on the surface of a superconducting transmon qubit

A reconstruction method based on Gaussian-apodized single-sideband electron ptychography removes artefacts to enable the high-fidelity identification of guest species in porous materials.

That author's affiliation: Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos Institution (first & last author): Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos

Two-dimensional materials such as silicene and germanene have attracted considerable attention due to their unique electronic and optoelectronic properties. When combined into heterostructures, these materials enable novel transport phenomena that are not accessible in isolated layers. In this work, we study the electronic transport properties of a silicene/germanene/silicene junction with ferromagnetic silicene leads. The transmission probability, conductance, and spin and valley polarization are analyzed using the transfer matrix method combined with the Landauer-Büttiker formalism. Our results demonstrate that both the on-site potential and the exchange energy in the silicene regions significantly and selectively modulate the conductance of the four transport channels ( K, K, K′, K′). By tuning these external parameters, fully spin- and valley-polarized transport regimes can be achieved. These findings provide valuable insights for the design of nanoscale devices and highlight the potential of silicene-germanene heterostructures for controllable spin-valleytronic applications.

That author's affiliation: Henan University First author institution: Beijing Normal University Last author institution: Anhui University

NiCo2O4 is a promising magnetic oxide for spintronic applications due to its high Curie temperature, large spin polarization, and robust perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. However, it remains an outstanding challenge to disentangle the intrinsic roles of cation valence and oxygen stoichiometry from extrinsic factors. In this work, CaH2-assisted reduction is employed to precisely modulate the oxygen stoichiometry in epitaxial NiCo2O4 thin films, as well as the Ni2+/Ni3+ and Co2+/Co3+ ratios. This post-growth electron-doping approach achieves precise chemical tuning while preserving high crystallinity, atomic surface smoothness, and uniform film thickness, thereby decoupling the intrinsic valence effects from extrinsic structural perturbations such as epitaxial strain. Intensified reduction is found to progressively suppress Ni3+ at octahedral sites, enhancing carrier localization and triggering a transition from metallic to insulating behavior. Concurrently, within a certain range of moderate reduction, the process reinforces localized magnetic moments and defect-induced domain-wall pinning, resulting in a pronounced enhancement in both anomalous Hall resistance and coercive fields. These findings establish CaH2 reduction as a powerful tool for disentangling the intrinsic roles of valence states and oxygen vacancies, providing a versatile strategy to engineer the physical properties of oxide-based spintronic materials.

That author's affiliation: Hangzhou Dianzi University Institution (first & last author): Hangzhou Dianzi University

A two-phonon system with lowest-order coupling of form is studied by perturbation method, and analytic results for both phonon displacements and frequencies are obtained. The frequency renormalization of infrared (IR) active mode brings the rectification of Raman mode to saturate at high pump field. For degenerate IR mode with coupling of form , the frequency of IR mode will split when resonantly pumped by elliptically or linearly polarized ultrashort mid-IR pulse, realizing Raman rectification and magnetization simultaneously. Our results reveal a dynamical effect of nonlinear phononics not captured by first-principles calculation, extend the dynamical multiferroicity to systems with coupling , and the method can be readily applied to higher-order couplings. The amplitude saturation under strong pump field stimulates future researches to overcome this nonlinear effect.

That author's affiliation: Hebei University of Technology Institution (first & last author): Hebei University of Technology

Identifying low-cost, high-performance electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is crucial for sustainable hydrogen production. Here, using first-principles calculations, we predict that the two-dimensional topological nodal-line (NL) semimetal YTe, a monolayer rare-earth monochalcogenide, is a near-ideal OER catalyst, with its intrinsic overpotential (η = 0.37 V) sitting near the apex of the activity volcano. Furthermore, we find that its catalytic performance is strongly tied to its topological electronic structure, the NLs near the Fermi level and surface density of states (SDOS) for topological surface states (TSSs), rather than to the conventional d-band center descriptor. Thus, destroying the NL through symmetry breaking markedly degrades the catalytic activity, and shifting the NL away from the Fermi level also weakens the OER performance. This behavior can be attributed to the reduction in the SDOS associated with the TSSs. We further investigate compounds sharing the same crystal structure as YTe, MX (M = Sc, Y; X = S, Se, Te), and reveal that symmetry breaking generally weakens their catalytic activity. This work not only identifies a highly active topological catalyst for OER, but also establishes a theoretical basis for designing next-generation topological catalysts.

That author's affiliation: Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro Institution (first & last author): Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro

The electronic local density of states (LDOS) of solids, if normalized correctly, represents the probability density that the electron at a specific position has a particular energy. Because this probability density can vary in space in disordered systems, we propose that one can either treat the energy as a random variable and position as an external parameter to construct a real space Fisher information matrix, or treat the position as a random variable and energy as an external parameter to construct an energy space Fisher information, both quantify the variation of LDOS caused by the disorder. The corresponding Cramér–Rao bounds in these two scenarios set a limit on the energy variance and the position variance of electrons in any disordered solids, pointing to new interpretations of LDOS. Our formalism thus brings the notion of information geometry into scanning tunneling microscopy measurements, as demonstrated explicitly by lattice models of metals and topological insulators.

That author's affiliation: National Taiwan University Institution (first & last author): National Taiwan University

Generalized Toffoli gates with customizable single-step multiple-qubit control

Bounding the computational power of bosonic systems

That author's affiliation: Institut Català de Nanociència i Nanotecnologia First author institution: Eindhoven University of Technology Last author institution: Institut Català de Nanociència i Nanotecnologia

The combination of viscous heat flow and thermoelastic effects leads to a non-diffusive heat transport regime in MoSe2 and MoS2. Moreover, it can be controlled through the variation in sample thickness and by choosing between continuous and pulsed heating.

How magnetic impurities influence superconductivity and electronic order in kagome metals remains unclear. Now anisotropic Kondo resonances intertwined with the superconducting gap are observed in a magnetically doped kagome superconductor.

Quantum magic dynamics in random circuits

Quantum computational sensing using quantum signal processing, quantum neural networks, and Hamiltonian engineering

Practical blueprint for low-depth photonic quantum computing with quantum dots

That author's affiliation: Institut d'électronique de microélectronique et de nanotechnologie Institution (first & last author): Institut d'électronique de microélectronique et de nanotechnologie

Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) have emerged as a powerful strategy for interfacial engineering in organic and molecular electronics, enabling control of surface properties such as wettability, adhesion and electrode work function (WF). The WF is a key parameter for charge injection, transport, and device performance. By adjusting molecular design, dipole orientation, and surface coverage, SAMs allow precise tuning the WF, optimizing energy-level alignment in devices such as organic solar cells, organic light-emitting diodes, and organic thin-film transistors. This review focuses on WF modulation of gold electrodes, a widely used material due to its chemical stability, high conductivity, and compatibility with thiol-based SAMs. We provide a comprehensive overview of thiol derived SAMs for gold surface modification, emphasizing their impact on WF as measured by kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM), kelvin probe (KP), and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy. Key parameters including molecular dipole, packing density, chain length, and terminal groups are discussed, along with the advantages of mixed SAMs for achieving precise WF control. These studies demonstrate that strategic molecular selection enables WF tuning across a broad range of 3.7–6.0 eV on gold surfaces. This review underscores the potential of SAMs as a versatile tool for advancing organic and molecular electronic through tailored interfacial engineering.

That author's affiliation: S.I. Vavilov Institute for the History of Science and Technology Institution (first & last author): Lomonosov Moscow State University

In this work we report the synthesis and characterization of WS2/MoS2 heterostructures prepared by sequential chemical vapor deposition using H2S and thermally evaporated metal as precursors. A thin WS2 covers (1–2 monolayers) are produced on pre-formed MoS2 nanowall films, resulting in nearly complete quenching of the MoS2 photoluminescence (PL) and emergence of a dominant WS2 PL peak at higher energy. Remarkably, electrical measurements reveal that the thermally activated conduction in the both layered materials have nearly the same activation energies, suggesting comparable donor activation energies and a possible near-alignment of the CBM positions within experimental uncertainty. This particular ‘quasi-type-I’ alignment is in sharp contrast to the conventional staggered (type-II) alignment normally expected in WS2/MoS2 heterostructures. Transient absorption pump–probe spectroscopy shows signatures consistent with ultrafast interlayer charge transfer and possible interlayer exciton formation. We present a comprehensive study of the optical, structural, and transport properties of prepared samples, and discuss the carrier transfer mechanisms that give rise to the observed PL redistribution.

That author's affiliation: East China Normal University Institution (first & last author): East China Normal University

The vertical stacking of diverse materials provides a versatile platform for constructing multifunctional optoelectronic devices. However, for layered anisotropic materials, which can offer an additional degree of freedom to control in-plane optoelectronic performance, their stacking for multifunctional device applications remains limited. Here, an anisotropic PdSe2/2 H-MoTe2 van der Waals heterojunction is designed and fabricated, and gate-programmable photocurrent polarity reversal and operation-mode switching for polarization-sensitive broadband photodetection. Benefiting from the dual-gate tunability of the 2 H-MoTe2, the reversible photoconductive and photovoltaic operation modes are realized, where an enhanced rectification ratio of 9.2 × 103 at a positive gate bias and a pronounced negative photoresponse with an extremely R of −25.6 A W−1 at a negative gate bias are highlighted. Broadband detection from 520 to 2000 nm with a peak responsivity of 151.1 A W−1 and polarization-dependent photoresponse from 520 to 1550 nm with a maximum polarization ratio up to 3.34 are demonstrated. Such multifunctional integration offers new insights into developing the highly integrated and intelligent optoelectronic systems by constructing the anisotropic heterostructures.

That author's affiliation: University of Konstanz Institution (first & last author): Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities

In solid state materials, gradients of the electro-chemical potential, the temperature, or the spin-chemical potential drive the flow of charge, heat, and spin angular momentum, resulting in a net transport of energy. Beyond the primary transport processes—such as the flow of charge, heat, and spin angular momentum driven by gradients in their respective potentials—a wide range of coupled or cross-linked transport responses can occur, giving rise to a rich variety of transport phenomena. These transport phenomena are commonly categorized under (anomalous) thermoelectric, thermomagnetic, and galvanomagnetic effects, along with their spin-dependent counterparts. However, establishing a systematic classification and comparison among them remains a complex and nontrivial task. This paper attempts a didactic overview of the different transport phenomena, by categorizing and briefly discussing each of them based on charge, heat, and spin transport in conducting solids. The phenomena are structured in three categories: collinear, transverse, and so-called ‘planar’ transport effects. The resulting overview attempts to categorize all effects in a consistent manner.

That author's affiliation: University of Science and Technology of China Institution (first & last author): University of Science and Technology of China

A programmable photonic quantum processor, Jiuzhang 4.0, incorporates 1,024 high-efficiency squeezed states into a hybrid spatial–temporal encoded 8,176-mode circuit.

That author's affiliation: Massachusetts Institute of Technology Institution (first & last author): Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Electron-beam control enables deterministic placement of tens of thousands of atomic defects in three-dimensional crystals, creating stable, programmable artificial matter for scalable quantum and nanoscale technologies.

A seemingly still crystal is alive with synchronized atomic motions. Now, angular momentum has been observed flowing coherently between distinct lattice vibrational modes, revealing a hidden propagation of rotational features inside the crystal.

How angular momentum is exchanged and conserved among lattice modes has been difficult to measure experimentally, but has now been observed via a coherent three-phonon scattering process in a topological insulator.

That author's affiliation: Durham University Institution (first & last author): Durham University

We present a first-principles investigation of the spin-ice state in Dy2Ti2O7 using a magnetic source-free exchange and correlation (xc) functional, implemented in the Castep electronic-structure code. By comparing results from the conventional local spin-density approximation, we show that a spin-ice state in Dy2Ti2O7 can be reliably obtained by removing the magnetic sources from the xc contributions to the potential, and we contrast this against the computed ground states of other frustrated pyrochlore magnets.

That author's affiliation: Southern University of Science and Technology Institution (first & last author): Southern University of Science and Technology

Massive spatial superpositions are a resource for quantum interferometry, but it has been hard to generate them beyond single atoms. Now spatially entangled massive states are realized through the tunnelling of atomic clusters in optical lattices.

That author's affiliation: UNSW Sydney First author institution: UNSW Sydney Last author institution: University of Canberra

A tunable artificial crystal in a shallow GaAs quantum well is shown to enable interaction-driven insulating behaviour. Electrostatic control tunes the band structure from graphene-like to kagome-like bands.