A research team led by Prof. Guo-Yong Xiang and Prof. Wei Yi from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, has reported the experimental observation of chiral switching between collective steady states in a dissipative Rydberg gas. This phenomenon, underpinned by a unique "Liouvillian exceptional structure" inherent to non-Hermitian physics, allows the state of the system to be controlled by the direction in which it is tuned through the parameter space, much like a revolving door that only allows exit in one direction. The results were published in Science Bulletin.

The brain, one of the most sophisticated and complex organs, remains a mystery in many aspects of its function. Scientists in Switzerland and China developed a groundbreaking hybrid imaging platform—HyFMRI—to simultaneously capture the dynamic activity of neurons, astrocytes, and hemodynamic responses. The technology, demonstrated in a mouse model, enables unprecedented studies of brain activity, opening new frontiers for understanding neuro-glial-vascular coupling in health and disease.

A researcher Heikki Mäntysaari from the University of Jyväskylä (Finland), has been part of an international research group that has made significant advances in modeling heavy ion collisions. New computer models provide additional information about the matter in the early universe and improve our understanding of the extremely hot and dense nuclear matter.

During the preliminary design phase of flapping-wing micro air vehicles (FWMAVs), there currently exists a deficiency in rapid prediction method for the aerodynamic characteristics of flexible flapping wings. A novel aerodynamic prediction method for flexible flapping wings has recently achieved significant breakthroughs. This method innovatively employs conical surface to mimic wing deformation, combined with an unsteady panel method for aerodynamic force computation, enabling rapid and accurate prediction of both aerodynamic characteristics and control moments of flexible flapping wings.

An international research team has advanced an imaging method to capture nanoscale “spin maps” of chiral perovskites for the first time, revealing how these materials control electron spin at room temperature. The study also identifies a new type of spin-sensitive junction at the interface with metals. The findings, recently published in National Science Review, could guide the design of next-generation spintronic devices.

High-temperature superconductivity has long been hailed as the “crown jewel” of condensed matter physics. In 2023, the nickel-based compound La₃Ni₂O₇ was found to exhibit superconductivity above 80 K under high pressure, setting a new record for nickelates and opening a fresh platform to explore high-Tc mechanisms. Professors Kun Jiang (Institute of Physics, CAS) and Fu-Chun Zhang (Kavli Institute for Theoretical Sciences, UCAS) and their team proposed that La₃Ni₂O₇ can be described as a “self-doped molecular Mott insulator,” where strong correlations and interlayer coupling drive superconductivity in a way reminiscent of cuprates. This work provides new insights into the origin of high-temperature superconductivity.