Physicists with the U.S. Department of Energy have discovered a new phase of matter—and, with apologies to George R. R. Martin, it's something of "a song of ice and fire." The new phase comes in the ...

Phase transitions, shifts between different states of matter, are widely explored physical phenomena. So far, these transitions have primarily been studied in three-dimensional (3D) and ...

The melting of materials seems like a simple phenomenon. However, when their thickness is reduced to just a few atoms, established rules waver. In this two-dimensional mode, new states emerge between ...

An exotic state of matter has been found lurking within a previous exotic state that was discovered in a magnetic compound last decade. Now, they have found the opposite: a half-ice, half-fire phase, ...

Quantum phase transitions and topological phases constitute a vibrant domain within condensed matter physics. Unlike classical transitions driven by thermal fluctuations, quantum phase transitions ...

Researchers have achieved a remarkable result: capturing and studying phase changes in quantum hardware, which hold hold promise for next-generation technologies like quantum computing and ...

The neurons of our brain may not exist in a single state of matter, new research suggests. As detailed in a study, published in the journal Communications Physics, researchers have found signs that ...