Electronic order in quantum materials often emerges not uniformly, but through subtle and complex patterns that vary from place to place. One prominent example is the charge density wave (CDW), an ordered state in which electrons arrange themselves into periodic patterns at low temperatures. Although CDWs have been studied for decades, how their strength and spatial coherence evolve across a phase transition has remained largely inaccessible experimentally.

Now, a team led by Professor Yongsoo Yang of the Department of Physics at KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology), together with Professors SungBin Lee, Heejun Yang, and Yeongkwan Kim, and in collaboration with Stanford University, has for the first time directly visualized the spatial evolution of charge density wave amplitude order inside a quantum material.

In a paper published in Earth and Planetary Physics, an international team of researchers studied the magnetic properties of volcanic rocks from the Northern Andes (Colombia, South America) and found that the main collisional stages between Central and South America occurred earlier than ~10 million years ago.

A new framework for understanding the non-monotonic temperature dependence and sign reversal of the chirality-related anomalous Hall effect in highly conductive metals has been developed by scientists at Science Tokyo. This framework provides a clear picture of the unusual temperature dependence of chirality-driven transport phenomena, forming a foundation for the rational design of next-generation spintronic devices and magnetic quantum materials.

In a study published in Earth and Planetary Physics, researchers analyzed atmospheric gravity wave (AGW) events observed in Dandong (northeastern China) and Lhasa (Tibetan Plateau) between 2015–2017. Using machine learning and ray-tracing methods, the team found significant differences in wave parameters and wave sources, driven by distinct geographical conditions and wind-filtering effects.

In a paper published in Earth and Planetary Physics, a scientific team presents a good correlation between temporal variations of the core magnetic field and the gravity field after separating the core mass transfer contributions in GRACE global gravity data combined with various global hydrological models. The correlation analysis between the main principal components of core magnetic and gravity signals reveals that the changes in the second time derivative of the core magnetic field coincide in trend with changes in the gravity field.

Quartz-enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy and light-induced thermoelastic spectroscopy are two gas sensing technologies that utilize a QTF as detector. As such, they are collectively referred to as quartz-enhanced laser spectroscopy sensing techniques. The QTF offers many features, which contribute three advantages to the technology: (1) exceptional noise immunity; (2) potential for miniaturization; (3) ultra-high sensitivity. With continued breakthrough advances, this technology is expected to bring about a paradigm shift in gas sensing for applications.

Researchers developed a flexible composite by magnetically aligning boron nitride flakes into vertical chains within silicone rubber. This structure achieves an out-of-plane thermal conductivity of 1.57 W·m⁻¹·K⁻¹ at just 20% filler content—over 8 times higher than pure rubber—while maintaining 134% stretchability. The material reduces LED operating temperature by ~37% and accelerates flexible temperature sensor response by 54%, offering a potent solution for thermal management in wearable electronics.

Scientists developed a single molecule combining p-type and n-type semiconductor components that self-assembles into two distinct nanoscale p/n heterojunctions, key structures for converting sunlight to electricity. Their findings highlight the importance of nanoscale structural control in bottom-up, single-component organic thin-film solar cells.

Researchers from the School of Engineering at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) have pioneered a mechanical bond strategy to create quasi-solid-state electrolytes (QSSEs) for lithium-metal batteries (LMBs). This marks the first use of mechanically interlocked molecules (MIMs) in covalent organic frameworks (COFs) to achieve high-performance battery operation, harnessing the unique chemistry of interlocked systems to enable safe, stable, and high-energy-density LMBs.