Can We Make Sense of Dissipation without Causality? L. Gavassino Phys. Rev. X 12, 041001 (2022) – Published 3 October 2022 Physics logo Viewpoint: Seeking Stability in a Relativistic Fluid A fluid dynamics theory that violates causality would always generate paradoxical instabilities—a result that could guide the search for a theory for relativistic fluids. Show Abstract Astrophysics Fluid Dynamics Particles and Fields PDFHTML Entanglement and Charge-Sharpening Transitions in U(1) Symmetric Monitored Quantum Circuits Utkarsh Agrawal, Aidan Zabalo, Kun Chen, Justin H. Wilson, Andrew C. Potter, J. H. Pixley, Sarang Gopalakrishnan, and Romain Vasseur Phys. Rev. X 12, 041002 (2022) – Published 7 October 2022 In a model of quantum spins, the identification of phase transitions triggered by differing measurement rates provides new insight into the scrambling of quantum information in systems with symmetry. Show Abstract Condensed Matter Physics Quantum Information Statistical Physics PDFHTML Accurate Nonempirical Range-Separated Hybrid van der Waals Density Functional for Complex Molecular Problems, Solids, and Surfaces Vivekanand Shukla, Yang Jiao, Jung-Hoon Lee, Elsebeth Schröder, Jeffrey B. Neaton, and Per Hyldgaard Phys. Rev. X 12, 041003 (2022) – Published 10 October 2022 A new exchange-correlation energy functional approximation—key for density-functional theory predictions of atomic-scale properties—proves highly accurate for a broad range of problems. Show Abstract Chemical Physics Materials Science Soft Matter PDFHTML Dynamics of Visons and Thermal Hall Effect in Perturbed Kitaev Models Aprem P. Joy and Achim Rosch Phys. Rev. X 12, 041004 (2022) – Published 12 October 2022 A new theoretical study unravels the dynamic properties of a vison—the elementary excitation of an emergent gauge field—and may help detect them in real materials. Show Abstract Condensed Matter Physics Magnetism Strongly Correlated Materials PDFHTML Optically Probing the Asymmetric Interlayer Coupling in Rhombohedral-Stacked MoS 2 Bilayer Jing Liang, Dongyang Yang, Jingda Wu, Jerry I. Dadap, Kenji Watanabe, Takashi Taniguchi, and Ziliang Ye Phys. Rev. X 12, 041005 (2022) – Published 14 October 2022 Optical spectroscopy reveals that a unique switchable spontaneous electric polarization in a type of transition-metal dichalcogenide arises from an asymmetric interlayer coupling. Show Abstract Condensed Matter Physics Graphene Semiconductor Physics PDFHTML Localized Elasticity Governs the Nonlinear Rheology of Colloidal Supercooled Liquids Dejia Kong, Wei-Ren Chen, Ke-Qi Zeng, Lionel Porcar, and Zhe Wang Phys. Rev. X 12, 041006 (2022) – Published 17 October 2022 Short-lived elastic regions in colloidal supercooled liquids under shear flow provide the mechanism for nonlinear viscoelasticity in these fluids, shedding light on more general flow behavior of soft condensed matter. Show Abstract Chemical Physics Fluid Dynamics Soft Matter PDFHTML Dynamics of Stochastic Integrate-and-Fire Networks Gabriel Koch Ocker Phys. Rev. X 12, 041007 (2022) – Published 19 October 2022 A new theory of neural population dynamics incorporates biophysical nonlinearities not included in other models, bridging the gap between the complex biophysics of single neurons and simplified population-level models. Show Abstract