JPS Hot Topics

Colloidal suspensions, in which particles ranging from tens of nanometers to a few microns are dispersed in a liquid, are the basis of many industrial applications, including paints, foods, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals. Their macroscopic dynamic behavior, especially under external flows or stresses, is strongly influenced by the microscopic motion of the suspended particles and the […]

Topology is a useful tool for understanding quantum entanglement in condensed matter physics. In particular, symmetry-protected topological phases, in which complex quantum entanglements can be classified by topological invariants, are attracting significant attention. When materials with pyrochlore lattice structures have competing interactions, unusual quantum effects emerge. Among the various interesting states, we focus on two […]

Chirality is the fundamental property of symmetry in nature that influences the physical properties of both inorganic and organic substances. Consequently, it has gained significant attention in materials science in the last decade. In magnetic chiral crystals, which lack both inversion and mirror symmetries, the effect of the antisymmetric Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya (DM) interaction leads to a […]

Nematics represent an orientational order in an otherwise isotropic material, and the two-fold nematic electronic state in iron-based superconductor FeSe has been investigated extensively. The superconducting state possesses a two-fold nematic order, with the superconducting gap described by a combination of two-component order parameters (Cooper-pair wave functions) comprising s- and d-waves. In the nematic electronic […]

Traffic congestion remains a challenge in urban environments, leading to increased travel time, fuel consumption, and environmental pollution. Traditional traffic signal control methods, such as fixed-cycle systems, fail to adapt to dynamic traffic conditions, causing inefficiencies. Recent advancements in quantum computing, particularly quantum annealing, have offered promising avenues for rapidly tackling complex optimization problems. This […]

Generative AI automatically creates text, images, and music, converting ideas into tangible outputs. It has become an essential tool for creativity and problem-solving, with applications expanding in everyday life, education, and work. Innovations such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google Gemini have further boosted their popularity. Generative AI and machine learning technologies have seen explosive growth […]

Understanding the properties of thin films is crucial for their application in materials science, from gaining insights into physical phenomena at the nanoscale to advancing applied technologies. An effective method for analyzing these properties is X-ray diffraction (XRD), which provides detailed information about the crystal structures of materials.Among the features observed in the XRD patterns, […]

The atomic arrangement of materials significantly influences their physical properties, requiring precise analysis of these structures. Atomic arrangements are classified into crystals, amorphous solids, and quasicrystals. The crystal exhibits periodic atomic patterns, while amorphous solids are characterized by disordered arrangements. However, quasicrystals lack periodicity but exhibit long-range order.     Multifractality and hyperuniformity are two mathematical […]

Researchers in the field of materials science are applying informatics methods to optimize the properties of materials. To accelerate their search, they need to gather data; however, they face the dilemma of whether to reveal or conceal their data. Secure computation offers an alternative; it allows the use of data without exposing them. We recently […]

The necessity for faster, more efficient data storage has produced a bottleneck in the memory device industry, as manufacturers are unable to accommodate the demand for larger storage space and faster data access rates. Skyrmions, which are topologically stable, vortex-like magnetic structures at the nanometer scale, have emerged as a promising alternative to conventional data […]