Research Highlights
AC Field Driven Interactions in Concentrated Electrolytes
Using a surface force balance, researchers discovered that AC fields induce forces in concentrated ionic liquid/polar solvent mixtures that are an order of magnitude larger and slower to stabilize than static responses. The study demonstrates that these enhanced forces persist in concentrated electrolytes and are sensitive to the electrode’s radius of curvature, allowing for geometric tuning of interactions in microfluidics and nanotribology.
CS Perez-Martinez, TS Groves, M Balabajew, CD van Engers, N Cousens, F Hausen, AM Smith, and S Perkin. AC Field Driven Interactions in Concentrated Electrolytes. J Phys D: Appl Phys 59 105502 (2026). http:/doi.org/10.1088/1361-6463/ae4910
Ultrafast heat transfer in single palladium nanocrystals seen with an X-ray free electron laser
Using X-ray free-electron lasers to monitor palladium nanocrystals, researchers observed that optical laser excitation creates transient, heterogeneous, and highly strained structural states preceding uniform thermal expansion. Above a threshold fluence, the Bragg peaks split, reflecting non-uniform lattice strain before thermal equilibrium is reached, a process confirmed by lattice displacement models. These findings offer insights into sub-picosecond laser-metal interactions and the optimization of palladium for photocatalysis.
D Yang, J Wrigley, J Griffiths, L Wu, AF Suzana, J Diao, A Rodriguez-Fernandez, J Hallmann, A Zozulya, U Boesenberg, R Shayduk, J-E Pudell, A Madsen, and IK Robinson. Ultrafast heat transfer in single palladium nanocrystals seen with an X-ray free electron laser. Accepted by and soon to be published in Commun Mater 7, 56 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43246-025-01063-z
Symmetric tensor scars with tunable entanglement from volume to area law
By constructing a new class of exact quantum many-body scars using superpositions of triplet states, the authors demonstrate a method to tune entanglement from area-law to extensive scales, providing a theoretical framework for stable, long-range quantum information transmission in non-integrable systems.
B Mukherjee, CJ Turner, M Szyniszewski, A Pal. Symmetric tensor scars with tunable entanglement from volume to area law. Accepted by and soon to be published in Phys Rev Lett (2026). https://arxiv.org/abs/2501.14024
Variational approach to open quantum systems with long-range competing interactions
Far-from-equilibrium many-body quantum systems with complex non-local interactions are of significant fundamental and practical importance. New research by Dawid Hryniuk and Marzena Szymańska demonstrates how variational Monte Carlo in combination with compact tensor network parameterization of the density matrix enables accurate and scalable simulation of such open quantum systems.
Hryniuk, DA, Szymańska, MH. Variational approach to open quantum systems with long-range competing interactions. Commun Phys 9 45 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s42005-025-02479-2
A novel implementation of the excited-state dynamics code, termed X-SH, simulates the process of charge generation in a nanoscale molecular organic solar cell. Transiently delocalised excited states accelerate charge generation by bypassing the formation of Coulombically bound electron-hole pairs.
Ivanović, F, Giannini, S, Peng, WT, Blumberger, J. Transiently delocalised hybrid quantum states are gateways for efficient exciton dissociation at organic donor-acceptor interfaces. Nat Commun 16, 11560 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-67722-4
Imaging the Acceptor Wave Function Anisotropy in Silicon
New research led by Steven Schofield (UCL, LCN, Dept of Physics & Astronomy, CMMP) and Michael Flatté (University of Iowa / Eindhoven University of Technology) has produced the first images, together with theoretical calculations, of hydrogenic acceptor states in silicon, a milestone in understanding dopants at the atomic scale.
Manuel Siegl, Julian Zanon, Joseph Sink, Adonai Rodrigues da Cruz, Holly Hedgeland, Neil J Curson, Michael E Flatté, and Steven R Schofield. Imaging the Acceptor Wave Function Anisotropy in Silicon. Nano Lett 2025 25 (38), 13996-14001. http://doi.org/10.1021/acs.nanolett.5c02675
We develop a machine learning approach that accurately predicts “quantum accurate” stabilities of small molecule molecular crystals at ambient condition up to the accuracy of experiments, helping to better understand crystalline pharmaceuticals under real-world conditions.
Della Pia, F, Shi, B X, Kapil, V*, Zen, A, Alfè, D, & Michaelides, A. Accurate and efficient machine learning interatomic potentials for finite temperature modelling of molecular crystals. Chem Sci 2025,16, 11419-11433. https://doi.org/10.1039/D5SC01325A
Measurement-Induced Lévy Flights of Quantum Information
This paper demonstrates how non-orthogonal measurements on a 1D chain of particles can trigger superdiffusive behavior, resulting in the rapid spread of quantum information. The authors reveal that this process creates fractal-scaling entanglement, allowing for complex quantum states to shift between localized and spreading regimes..
I Poboiko, M Szyniszewski, CJ Turner, IV Gornyi, AD Mirlin, and A Pal. Measurement-Induced Lévy Flights of Quantum Information. Phys Rev Lett 135, 170403 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1103/tx71-1cd9