@article{21982,
abstract = {A floating Leidenfrost droplet exhibits curvature inversion of its underside, due to the balance of vapor pressure and surface tension. Using interferometric imaging, we find different behavior for a levitated hydrogel sphere. Curvature inversion is observed briefly just after deposition, but quickly gives way to a steady state with no inversion. We show the essential role of vaporization in shaping the underbelly of the hydrogel, where changes due to direct mass loss are more significant than the balance of vapor pressure and elastic forces.},
author = {Diaz Melian, Vicente L and Lenton, Isaac C and Binysh, Jack and Souslov, Anton and Waitukaitis, Scott R},
issn = {2470-0053},
journal = {Physical Review E},
number = {5},
publisher = {American Physical Society},
title = {{Geometry of the vapor layer under a Leidenfrost hydrogel sphere}},
doi = {10.1103/m7gr-2t6j},
volume = {113},
year = {2026},
}
@article{21983,
abstract = {Promoters and enhancers are cis-regulatory elements (CREs), DNA sequences that bind transcription factor (TF) proteins to up- or down-regulate target genes. Decades-long efforts yielded TF-DNA interaction models that predict how strongly an individual TF binds arbitrary DNA sequences and how individual binding events on the CRE combine to affect gene expression. These insights can be synthesized into a global, biophysically realistic, and quantitative genotype–phenotype map for gene regulation, a ‘holy grail’ for the application of evolutionary theory. A global map provides a rare opportunity to simulate the long-term evolution of regulatory sequences and pose several fundamental questions: How long does it take to evolve CREs de novo? How many non-trivial regulatory functions exist in sequence space? How connected are they? For which regulatory architecture is CRE evolution most rapid and evolvable? In this article, the first of a two-part series, we briefly review the pertinent modeling and simulation efforts for a unique system that enables close, quantitative, and mechanistic links between biophysics, as well as systems, synthetic, and evolutionary biology.},
author = {Mascolo, Elia and Körei, Reka E and Herrera-Álvarez, Santiago and Guet, Calin C and Crocker, Justin and Tkačik, Gašper},
issn = {1879-0380},
journal = {Current Opinion in Genetics & Development},
publisher = {Elsevier},
title = {{Long-term evolution of regulatory DNA sequences. Part 1: Simulations on global, biophysically-realistic genotype–phenotype maps}},
doi = {10.1016/j.gde.2026.102483},
volume = {99},
year = {2026},
}
@unpublished{21994,
abstract = {Adaptive plant development is orchestrated, among others, by directional, intercellular transport of the phytohormone auxin. Self-organizing development, such as flexible vasculature formation, depends on so-called auxin canalization, manifested by the gradual formation of auxin transport channels through feedback between auxin signalling and transport. Herein, we identify MAKR6 as an important, novel component in this feedback. MAKR6 expression accumulates strongly in vascular cells and is tightly regulated by auxin via the Aux/IAA-ARF-WRKY23 transcriptional network. MAKR6 is required for auxin canalization-dependent processes, including leaf venation, vasculature regeneration, and de novo auxin channel formation from local auxin sources. Mechanistically, MAKR6 interacts with the PIN1 auxin transporter, modulating its trafficking and polarization. MAKR6 also associates with and integrates two key receptor-like kinase complexes involved in canalization, TMK1/4 and the CAMEL-CANAR. Together, our study establishes MAKR6 as a multifaceted regulator that couples transcriptional auxin signalling to PIN1 repolarization and coordinates multiple RLK-mediated signalling pathways during canalization. This provides mechanistic insights into auxin canalization and exemplifies a framework for exploring similar regulatory nodes in other developmental contexts.},
author = {Ge, Zengxiang and Koczka, Lilla and Mazur, Ewa and Molnar, Gergely and Vladimirtsev, Dmitrii and Kassem, Nada and Ait Ikene, Sara and Fiedler, Lukas and Friml, Jiří},
booktitle = {bioRxiv},
title = {{MAKR6 integrates TMK and CAMEL/CANAR signalling for auxin canalization in Arabidopsis}},
doi = {10.1101/2025.10.07.680881},
year = {2026},
}
@article{20840,
abstract = {Probing the possibility of entanglement generation through gravity offers a path to tackle the question of whether gravitational fields possess a quantum mechanical nature. A potential realization necessitates systems with low-frequency dynamics at an optimal mass scale, for which the microgram-to-milligram range is a strong contender. Here, after refining a figure-of-merit for the problem, we present a 1-milligram torsional pendulum operating at 18 Hz. We demonstrate laser cooling its motion from room temperature to 240 microkelvins, surpassing by over 20-fold the coldest motions attained for oscillators ranging from micrograms to kilograms. We quantify and contrast the utility of the current approach with other platforms. The achieved performance and large improvement potential highlight milligram-scale torsional pendulums as a powerful platform for precision measurements relevant to future studies at the quantum-gravity interface.},
author = {Agafonova, Sofya and Rosello, Pere and Mekonnen, Manuel and Hosten, Onur},
issn = {2399-3650},
journal = {Communications Physics},
publisher = {Springer Nature},
title = {{One-milligram torsional pendulum toward experiments at the quantum-gravity interface}},
doi = {10.1038/s42005-026-02514-w},
volume = {9},
year = {2026},
}
@phdthesis{20964,
author = {Vladimirtsev, Dmitrii},
issn = {2791-4585},
pages = {22},
publisher = {Institute of Science and Technology Austria},
title = {{Armadillo repeat only proteins are master regulators of plant cyclic-nucleotide gated channels}},
doi = {10.15479/AT-ISTA-20964},
year = {2026},
}
@phdthesis{20991,
abstract = {Rapid local adaptation to new environments is critical for species persistence, especially in introduced populations. The evolutionary success of these populations is fundamentally dictated by the organization of genetic variation—the genomic architecture—in the face of severe demographic constraints, such as the founder effects and genetic bottlenecks that frequently accompany colonization. A central question in evolutionary biology is whether rapid adaptation relies on major-effect loci, such as chromosomal inversions, or on many small-effect loci dispersed across the genome. Furthermore, the genomic architecture strongly influences the extent to which evolutionary outcomes are predictable. Using introduced populations of the marine snail, Littorina saxatilis, as a model, this thesis investigates how genetic variation and genomic structure drive adaptation following introduction. We employed a population genomics approach on experimentally and accidentally introduced populations to dissect the specific genomic features that underpin divergence in newly colonized environments.
In Chapter 2, we tested the predictability of local adaptation through an uncommon 30-year transplant experiment in nature. By distinguishing allele and chromosomal inversion frequency changes from neutral expectations, we found that evolutionary change was highly predictable at the macro-scale (phenotypes and chromosomal inversions), but less robust at the level of individual collinear loci. This result demonstrates that evolution can be predictable when a population possesses sufficient standing genetic variation (SGV), with chromosomal inversions acting as key integrated units that facilitate a rapid response to selection. Building on this, Chapter 3 applied whole-genome sequencing to three accidentally introduced populations (Venice, San Francisco, and Redwood City) to investigate their likely source and genomic patterns of divergence. We identified genomic regions of remarkable divergence potentially associated with local adaptation, and likely fuelled by SGV, while explicitly acknowledging the difficulty in disentangling selection signals from the genome-wide effects of demographic processes. Furthermore, we found that the divergence patterns relied extensively on the collinear genome in these introduced populations, and less clearly on the chromosomal inversions. This observation contrasts with local adaptation observed in the experimental system that relied on both collinear loci and highly selected chromosomal inversions, highlighting how demographic history and genomic architecture influence the detectable signature of local adaptation.
A major limitation to conducting large-scale comparative evolutionary studies is the lack of data standardization, which prevents the integration of community knowledge and high-resolution environmental and genetic data. Chapter 4 addresses this by developing a community database for the Littorina system. This platform implements standardized protocols for the integration of diverse phenotypic and environmental data from multiple Littorina species. Likewise, the platform also centralizes the availability of associated genomic data through links to external repositories. This database represents a crucial tool to test complex, large-scale evolutionary hypotheses.
Collectively, this thesis strongly reinforces the fundamental importance of SGV as the raw material for successful local adaptation, a conclusion supported by evidence in both experimental and accidental introductions. Furthermore, this work highlights the critical role of the genomic architecture—specifically chromosomal inversions—in driving the predictability and effectiveness of adaptive responses. Our findings underscore how the interplay between SGV and genomic architecture dictates the trajectory and detectability of evolution in colonizing populations, while simultaneously providing a necessary tool to advance comparative evolutionary genomics in emerging model organisms.},
author = {Garcia Castillo, Diego Fernando},
isbn = {978-3-99078-077-0},
issn = {2663-337X},
pages = {199},
publisher = {Institute of Science and Technology Austria},
title = {{The genomic architecture of local adaptation in introduced populations}},
doi = {10.15479/AT-ISTA-20991},
year = {2026},
}
@article{21001,
abstract = {Copper chalcogenides offer high charge mobility and low lattice thermal conductivity but suffer from structural instability due to dynamic Cu+ migration. Here, we report a colloidal hot-injection synthesis of ternary cesium copper selenide (CsCu5Se3) nanocrystals (NCs), achieving precise control over phase, size, and morphology through tailored precursor-ligand modulation. This strategy enabled systematic exploration of stable and metastable Cs–Cu–Se phases and mechanistic investigation of nucleation and growth, providing insight into phase modulation and dimensional control at the nanoscale. CsCu5Se3 NCs exhibit low lattice thermal conductivity (∼0.5 Wm–1K–1) and an experimental zT of 0.27 at 718 K. Complementary first-principles calculations, consistent with experimental electronic and optical responses, predict a zT of 1.05 at 1000 K. These findings elucidate the formation dynamics of CsCu5Se3 and establish ABZ (A = alkali, B = metal, Z = chalcogen) NCs as tunable platforms for advanced functional applications.},
author = {Patil, Niraj Nitish and Wu, Ruiqi and Fiedler, Christine and Kapuria, Nilotpal and Nan, Bingfei and Navita, Navita and Cabot, Andreu and Ibáñez, Maria and Ryan, Kevin M. and Ganose, Alex M. and Singh, Shalini},
issn = {2380-8195},
journal = {ACS Energy Letters},
number = {1},
pages = {481--488},
publisher = {American Chemical Society},
title = {{Layered alkali-copper selenides: Deciphering thermoelectric properties and reaction pathways for nanostructuring β-CsCu5Se3}},
doi = {10.1021/acsenergylett.5c02909},
volume = {11},
year = {2026},
}
@article{21008,
abstract = {C(sp2)–heteroatom couplings operating via NiI/NiIII catalysis have emerged as an alternative to canonical Pd0/PdII systems that require complex ligand architectures. Despite intensive research efforts during the past decade, catalytic methods employing this approach are still mostly confined to activated starting materials and require high catalyst loadings due to the low catalytic activity of NiI and undesired catalyst deactivation events. This article highlights recent advances in the field toward solving these long-standing challenges. We survey strategies that streamline the generation of catalytically competent NiI species from bench-stable NiII precatalysts, and discuss mechanistic studies that shed light on deactivation pathways and the rate-determining oxidative addition of aryl halides. In the final section, we highlight recently developed synthetic methodologies, which provide evidence that limitations can indeed be addressed by working at elevated temperatures, employing alternative electrophiles, harnessing the benefits of additives, or fine-tuning the metal’s reactivity through the ligand field.},
author = {Bena, Aleksander and Pieber, Bartholomäus},
issn = {2155-5435},
journal = {ACS Catalysis},
number = {2},
pages = {866--881},
publisher = {American Chemical Society},
title = {{Advances in NiI/NiIII-catalyzed C(sp2)–heteroatom cross-couplings}},
doi = {10.1021/acscatal.5c07964},
volume = {16},
year = {2026},
}
@article{21013,
abstract = {We have addressed convective self‐aggregation (CSA) in steady and oscillating sea surface temperature (SST) and solar radiation (SOLIN) cloud‐resolving model simulations in a non‐rotating radiative‐convective equilibrium (RCE) framework. Our experiment designs are motivated by land‐ocean heterogeneity of atmospheric convection. The steady and oscillating forcings are idealizations of ocean and land conditions, respectively, based on their differences in heat capacities. In both kinds of simulations, the diurnal mean SST and SOLIN are the same, and both SST and SOLIN are only varied in time (i.e., they are spatially homogeneous at any given time). We find that diurnally oscillating forcing accelerates CSA. Stronger long‐wave cooling in dry regions at night and during the warm SST phase (late afternoon) both allow the long‐wave feedback, known to favor aggregation, to intensify compared to steady forcing simulations. In addition to the long‐wave, reduced short‐wave warming in dry regions (during the day) further enhances radiative cooling there compared to moist regions. Overall, the radiative cooling is enhanced in dry regions compared to neighboring moist convective regions. A dry subsidence is driven by this net radiative (short‐wave plus long‐wave) cooling, consistent with earlier work on CSA. Stronger radiative cooling allows stronger subsidence which allows low‐level circulation to more efficiently transport moisture and energy up‐gradient, driving convection to aggregate faster. We also note a sensitivity of our experimental setup to initial conditions, more so at warmer SST. This stochastic behavior might be critical in reconciling the differences of opinion regarding the response of convection aggregation to oscillating SST forcing.},
author = {GOSWAMI, BIDYUT B and Lu, Ziyin and Muller, Caroline J},
issn = {1942-2466},
journal = {Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems},
number = {1},
publisher = {Wiley},
title = {{Convective self‐aggregation in diurnally oscillating sea surface temperature and solar forcing experiments}},
doi = {10.1029/2024ms004576},
volume = {18},
year = {2026},
}
@misc{21137,
author = {Naik, Suyash},
publisher = {Institute of Science and Technology Austria},
title = {{Data associated with Keratins coordinate tissue spreading }},
doi = {10.15479/AT-ISTA-21137},
year = {2026},
}
@article{21234,
abstract = {In aged humans and mice, hypobranched glycogen aggregates, known as polyglucosan bodies (PGBs), accumulate in hippocampal astrocytes. While PGBs are linked to cognitive decline in neurological diseases, they remain largely unstudied in the context of typical aging. We show that PGBs arise in autophagy-dysregulated astrocytes in the aged hippocampus, with substantial variation among 32 inbred BXD mouse strains. Genetic mapping through quantitative trait locus analysis identified a major locus (Pgb1) that modulates hippocampal PGB burden. Extensive transcriptomic and proteomic datasets were produced for the aged hippocampus of the BXD family to investigate the mechanism by which the Pgb1 locus modulates PGB burden. We identified that Pgb1 contains allelic Smarcal1 and Usp37 variants and influences PGB burden through trans-regulation of mRNA and protein expression levels, including abundance of glycogen-mobilizing factor PYGB. Furthermore, comprehensive phenome-wide association scans, transcriptomic analyses, and direct behavioral testing demonstrated that cognition remains intact despite age-related PGB burden. A record of this paper’s transparent peer review process is included in the supplemental information.},
author = {Gómez-Pascual, Alicia and Glikman, Dow M and Ng, Hui Xin and Tomkins, James E. and Lu, Lu and Xu, Ying and Ashbrook, David G. and Kaczorowski, Catherine and Kempermann, Gerd and Killmar, John and Mozhui, Khyobeni and Ohlenschläger, Oliver and Aebersold, Rudolf and Ingram, Donald K. and Williams, Evan G. and Jucker, Mathias and Overall, Rupert W. and Williams, Robert W. and de Bakker, Dennis E.M.},
issn = {2405-4712},
journal = {Cell Systems},
number = {2},
publisher = {Elsevier},
title = {{The Smarcal1-Usp37 locus modulates glycogen aggregation in astrocytes of the aged hippocampus}},
doi = {10.1016/j.cels.2025.101488},
volume = {17},
year = {2026},
}
@article{21274,
abstract = {Many white dwarfs are observed in compact double white dwarf binaries, and through the emission of gravitational waves, a large fraction are destined to merge. The merger remnants that do not explode in a Type Ia supernova are expected to initially be rapidly rotating and highly magnetized. In this work, we present our discovery of the variable white dwarf ZTF J200832.79+444939.67, hereafter ZTF J2008+4449, as a likely merger remnant showing signs of circumstellar material without a stellar or substellar companion. The nature of ZTF J2008+4449 as a merger remnant is supported by its physical properties: it is hot (35 500 ± 300 K) and massive (1.12 ± 0.03 M
⊙
), rapidly rotating with a period of ≈6.6 minutes, and likely possesses exceptionally strong magnetic fields (∼400−600 MG) at its surface. Remarkably, we detect a significant period derivative of (1.80 ± 0.09)×10
−12
s/s, indicating that the white dwarf is spinning down, and a soft X-ray emission that is inconsistent with photospheric emission. As the presence of a mass-transferring stellar or brown dwarf companion is excluded by infrared photometry, the detected spin-down and X-ray emission could be tell-tale signs of a magnetically driven wind or of interaction with circumstellar material, possibly originating from the fallback of gravitationally bound merger ejecta or from the tidal disruption of a planetary object. We also detect Balmer emission, which requires the presence of ionized hydrogen in the vicinity of the white dwarf, showing Doppler shifts as high as ≈2000 km s
−1
. The unusual variability of the Balmer emission on the spin period of the white dwarf is consistent with the trapping of a half ring of ionized gas in the magnetosphere of the white dwarf.
},
author = {Cristea, Andrei-Alexandru and Caiazzo, Ilaria and Cunningham, Tim and Raymond, John C. and Vennes, Stephane and Kawka, Adela and Desai, Aayush A and Miller, David R. and Hermes, J. J. and Fuller, Jim and Heyl, Jeremy and van Roestel, Jan and Burdge, Kevin B. and Rodriguez, Antonio C. and Pelisoli, Ingrid and Gänsicke, Boris T. and Szkody, Paula and Kenyon, Scott J. and Vanderbosch, Zach and Drake, Andrew and Ferrario, Lilia and Wickramasinghe, Dayal and Karambelkar, Viraj R. and Justham, Stephen and Pakmor, Ruediger and El-Badry, Kareem and Prince, Thomas and Kulkarni, S. R. and Graham, Matthew J. and Masci, Frank J. and Groom, Steven L. and Purdum, Josiah and Dekany, Richard and Bellm, Eric C.},
issn = {1432-0746},
journal = {Astronomy & Astrophysics},
publisher = {EDP Sciences},
title = {{A half ring of ionized circumstellar material trapped in the magnetosphere of a white dwarf merger remnant}},
doi = {10.1051/0004-6361/202556432},
volume = {706},
year = {2026},
}
@misc{21284,
abstract = {The advantageous characteristics attributed to the 19F nucleus have made it a popular target for NMR once again in recent years. Aside from solution NMR, an increasing number of studies have been conducted applying solid-state magic-angle-spinning NMR to fluorine-labeled samples. Here, the high chemical shift anisotropy and strong dipolar couplings can be utilized to get structural insights into proteins and measure long distances. Despite increasing popularity and promising benefits, the sensitivity of biomolecular 19F MAS NMR often suffers from slow longitudinal T1 relaxation and therefore long recycle delays. In this work, we expand paramagnetic doping, an approach commonly used to reduce proton T1 relaxation times, to 19F-labeled biological samples. We study the effect of Gd(DTPA) and Gd(DTPA-BMA) on 19F and 13C T1 and T2 relaxation in a [5-19F13C]-tryptophan-labeled protein via 19F-detected MAS NMR experiments. The observed paramagnetic relaxation enhancement substantially reduces measurement times of 19F MAS NMR experiments without compromising resolution. Additionally, we report the chemical-shift assignments of all four fluorotryptophan signals in the 12 × 39 kDa large protein using a mutagenesis approach.},
author = {Becker, Lea Marie and Schanda, Paul},
publisher = {Institute of Science and Technology Austria},
title = {{Research data for "Accelerated 19F biomolecular magic-angle spinning NMR with paramagnetic dopants"}},
doi = {10.15479/AT-ISTA-21284},
year = {2026},
}
@article{21341,
abstract = {We aim to characterise the mass-metallicity relation (MZR) and the 3D correlation between the stellar mass, metallicity, and star formation rate (SFR) known as the fundamental metallicity relation (FMR) for galaxies at 5 < z < 7. Using ∼800 [O III] selected galaxies from deep NIRCam grism surveys, we present our stacked measurements of direct-Te metallicities, which we used to test recent strong-line metallicity calibrations. Our measured direct-Te metallicities (0.1–0.2 Z⊙ for M★ ≈ 5 × 107 − 9 M⊙, respectively) match recent JWST/NIRSpec-based results. However, there are significant inconsistencies between observations and hydrodynamical simulations. We observe a flatter MZR slope than the SPHINX20 and FLARES simulations, which cannot be attributed to selection effects. With simple models, we show that the effect of an [O III] flux-limited sample on the observed shape of the MZR is strongly dependent on the FMR. If the FMR is similar to the one in the local Universe, the intrinsic high-redshift MZR should be even flatter than is observed. In turn, a 3D relation where SFR correlates positively with metallicity at fixed mass would imply an intrinsically steeper MZR. Our measurements indicate that metallicity variations at fixed mass show little dependence on the SFR, suggesting a flat intrinsic MZR. This could indicate that the low-mass galaxies at these redshifts are out of equilibrium and that metal enrichment occurs rapidly in low-mass galaxies. However, being limited by our stacking analysis, we are yet to probe the scatter in the MZR and its dependence on SFR. Large carefully selected samples of galaxies with robust metallicity measurements can put tight constraints on the high-redshift FMR and help us to understand the interplay between gas flows, star formation, and feedback in early galaxies.},
author = {Kotiwale, Gauri and Matthee, Jorryt J and Kashino, Daichi and Vijayan, Aswin P. and Torralba Torregrosa, Alberto and Di Cesare, Claudia and Iani, Edoardo and Bordoloi, Rongmon and Leja, Joel and Maseda, Michael V. and Tacchella, Sandro and Shivaei, Irene and Heintz, Kasper E. and Danhaive, A. Lola and Mascia, Sara and Kramarenko, Ivan and Navarrete, Benjamín and Mackenzie, Ruari and Naidu, Rohan P. and Sobral, David},
issn = {1432-0746},
journal = {Astronomy & Astrophysics},
publisher = {EDP Sciences},
title = {{Rapid, out-of-equilibrium metal enrichment indicated by a flat mass-metallicity relation at z ∼ 6 from NIRCam grism spectroscopy}},
doi = {10.1051/0004-6361/202556597},
volume = {706},
year = {2026},
}
@unpublished{21400,
abstract = {This document is a blueprint for the formalization in Lean of the structural theory of regular matroids underlying Seymour's decomposition theorem. We present a modular account of regularity via totally unimodular representations, show that regularity is preserved under 1-, 2-, and 3-sums, and establish regularity for several special classes of matroids, including graphic, cographic, and the matroid R10. The blueprint records the logical structure of the proof, the precise dependencies between results, and their correspondence with Lean declarations. It is intended both as a guide for the ongoing formalization effort and as a human-readable reference for the organization of the proof.},
author = {Sergeev, Ivan and Dvorak, Martin and Rampell, Cameron and Sandey, Mark and Monticone, Pietro},
booktitle = {arXiv},
pages = {18},
title = {{A blueprint for the formalization of Seymour's matroid decomposition theorem}},
doi = {10.48550/arXiv.2601.01255},
year = {2026},
}
@phdthesis{21401,
abstract = {Runtime verification offers scalable solutions to improve the safety and reliability of systems. However, systems that require verification or monitoring by a third party to ensure compliance with a specification might contain sensitive information, causing privacy concerns when usual runtime verification approaches are used. Privacy is compromised if protected information about the system, or sensitive data that is processed by the system, is revealed. In addition, revealing the specification being monitored may undermine the essence of third-party verification.
In this thesis, we propose a protocol for privacy-preserving runtime verification of systems against formal sequential specifications. We develop the protocol in two steps. In the first step, the monitor verifies whether the system satisfies the specification without learning anything else, though both parties are aware of the specification. In the second step, we extend the protocol to ensure that the system remains oblivious to the monitored specification, while the monitor learns only whether the system satisfies the specification and nothing more. Our protocol adapts and improves existing techniques used in cryptography, and more specifically, multi-party computation.
The sequential specification defines the observation step of the monitor, whose granularity depends on the situation (e.g., banks may be monitored on a daily basis). Our protocol exchanges a single message per observation step, after an initialization phase. This design minimizes communication overhead, enabling relatively lightweight privacy-preserving monitoring. We implement our approach for monitoring specifications described by register automata and evaluate it experimentally.
},
author = {Karimi, Mahyar},
issn = {2791-4585},
keywords = {Privacy-preserving verification, Runtime verification, Monitoring, Reactive functionalities, Cryptographic protocols},
pages = {60},
publisher = {Institute of Science and Technology Austria},
title = {{Privacy-preserving runtime verification}},
doi = {10.15479/AT-ISTA-21401},
year = {2026},
}
@article{21408,
abstract = {Rational design strategies for self-assembly require a detailed understanding of both the equilibrium state and the assembly kinetics. While the former is starting to be well understood, the latter remains a major theoretical challenge, especially in programmable systems and the so-called semi-addressable regime, where binding is often nondeterministic and the formation of off-target structures negatively influences the assembly. Here, we show that it is possible to simultaneously sculpt the assembly outcome and the assembly kinetics through the underexplored design space of binding energies and particle concentrations. By formulating the assembly process as a complex reaction network, we calculate and optimize the tradeoff between assembly speed and quality and show that parameter optimization can speed up assembly by many orders of magnitude without lowering the yield of the target structure. Although the exact speedup varies from design to design, we find the largest speedups for nondeterministic systems where unoptimized assembly is the slowest, sometimes even making them assemble faster than optimized, fully addressable designs. Therefore, these results not only solve a key challenge in semi-addressable self-assembly but further emphasize the utility of semi-addressability, where designs have the potential to be faster as well as cheaper (fewer particle species) and better (higher yield). More broadly, our results highlight the importance of parameter optimization in programmable self-assembly and provide practical tools for simultaneous optimization of kinetics and yield in a wide range of systems.},
author = {Hübl, Maximilian and Goodrich, Carl Peter},
issn = {1089-7690},
journal = {Journal of Chemical Physics},
number = {8},
publisher = {AIP Publishing},
title = {{Simultaneous optimization of assembly time and yield in programmable self-assembly}},
doi = {10.1063/5.0304731},
volume = {164},
year = {2026},
}
@article{21449,
abstract = {Three-dimensional (3D) crystals offer a route to scaling up trapped-ion systems for quantum sensing and quantum simulation applications; however, engineering coherent spin-motion couplings and effective spin-spin interactions in large crystals poses technical challenges associated with decoherence and prolonged timescales to generate appreciable entanglement. Here, we explore the possibility of speeding up these interactions in 3D crystals via parametric amplification. For this purpose, we derive a general Hamiltonian for the parametric amplification of spin-motion coupling that is broadly applicable to normal modes with motion transverse to or along the spatial extent of the crystal. Unlike in lower-dimensional crystals, we find that the ability to faithfully (uniformly) amplify the spin-spin interactions in 3D crystals depends on the physical implementation of the spin-motion coupling. We consider the light-shift gate, and the so-called phase-insensitive and phase-sensitive Mølmer-Sørensen (MS) gates, and we find that only the phase-sensitive MS gate can be faithfully amplified in general 3D crystals. We discuss a situation where nonuniform amplification can be advantageous. We also reconsider the effect of counter-rotating terms on parametric amplification and find that they are not as detrimental as previous studies suggest.},
author = {Hawaldar, Samarth and Nikhil, N. and Rey, Ana Maria and Bollinger, John J. and Shankar, Athreya},
issn = {2331-7019},
journal = {Physical Review Applied},
number = {3},
publisher = {American Physical Society},
title = {{Parametric amplification of spin-motion coupling in three-dimensional trapped-ion crystals}},
doi = {10.1103/h1m9-h3yw},
volume = {25},
year = {2026},
}
@article{21452,
abstract = {Galaxies exhibit a tight correlation between their star formation rate (SFR) and stellar mass over a wide redshift range known as the star-forming main sequence (SFMS). With JWST, the SFMS can now be investigated at high redshifts down to masses of ∼106 M⊙, using sensitive star formation rate tracers such as the Hα emission, which allow us to probe the variability in the star formation histories. We present inferences of the SFMS based on 316 Hα-selected galaxies at z ∼ 4 − 5 with log(M★/M⊙) = 6.4 − 10.6. These galaxies were identified behind the Abell 2744 lensing cluster with NIRCam grism spectroscopy from the survey All the Little Things (ALT). At face value, our data suggest a shallow slope in the SFMS (SFR ∝ M★α, with α = 0.45). After we corrected this for the Hα-flux limited nature of our survey using a Bayesian framework, the slope steepened to α = 0.59+0.10−0.09, whereas current data on their own are inconclusive on the mass dependence of the scatter. These slopes differ significantly from the slope of ∼1 that is expected from the observed evolution of the galaxy stellar mass function and from simulations. When we fixed the slope to α = 1, we found evidence for a decreasing intrinsic scatter with stellar mass (from ∼0.5 dex at M★ = 108 M⊙ to 0.4 dex at M★ = 1010 M⊙). This difference might be explained by a (combination of) luminosity-dependent SFR(Hα) calibration, a population of (mini)-quenched low-mass galaxies, or underestimated dust attenuation in high-mass galaxies. Future deep observations with different facilities can quantify these processes, which will enable us to achieve better insights into the variability of the star formation histories.},
author = {Di Cesare, Claudia and Matthee, Jorryt J and Naidu, Rohan P. and Torralba, Alberto and Kotiwale, Gauri and Kramarenko, Ivan and Blaizot, Jeremy and Rosdahl, Joakim and Leja, Joel and Iani, Edoardo and Adamo, Angela and Covelo-Paz, Alba and Furtak, Lukas J. and Heintz, Kasper E. and Mascia, Sara and Navarrete, Benjamín and Oesch, Pascal A. and Romano, Michael and Shivaei, Irene and Tacchella, Sandro},
issn = {1432-0746},
journal = {Astronomy & Astrophysics},
publisher = {EDP Sciences},
title = {{The slope and scatter of the star-forming main sequence at z ∼ 5: Reconciling observations with simulations}},
doi = {10.1051/0004-6361/202557790},
volume = {707},
year = {2026},
}
@article{21469,
abstract = {Terahertz (THz) spectroscopy is a powerful probe of low-energy excitations in complex materials. Extending it into the nonlinear regime broadens its scope and can provide valuable insight into interactions among these modes. However, interpreting nonlinear spectra is challenging because resonant features in this case do not always reflect intrinsic material dynamics. Here, we study nonlinear THz-induced Kerr effect in a generic material LaAlO3. After detailed analysis of temporal oscillations of the Kerr signal, we identify an 𝐸𝑔 Raman mode at 1.1 THz excited through a two-photon process, while two additional peaks (0.86 and 0.36 THz) arise from phase matching of the near-infrared probe beam with co- and counterpropagating THz pump fields, mediated by off-resonant electronic hyperpolarizability. These results demonstrate the crucial role of kinematic effects in shaping THz-induced Kerr response and establish a framework for interpreting nonlinear spectroscopies in complex materials.},
author = {Shen, Chao and Frenzel, Maximilian and Maehrlein, Sebastian F. and Alpichshev, Zhanybek},
issn = {1079-7114},
journal = {Physical Review Letters},
number = {10},
publisher = {American Physical Society},
title = {{Disentangling electronic and ionic nonlinear polarization effects in bulk THz Kerr response}},
doi = {10.1103/1c5k-9z82},
volume = {136},
year = {2026},
}