quantum materials

Physicists report a theoretical connection between chirality, the handedness of molecular or physical structures, and spin, using well-established symmetry principles rather than new experimental results. The work ties two properties usually treated separately into a single framework, which researchers say could clarify how handedness and rotational behavior influence each other in quantum systems and materials.

Physicists report the first known superconductor that breaks time symmetry, a discovery described as a first of its kind. In such a state, the material's behaviour changes under time reversal, something ordinary superconductors do not do. If confirmed, the finding would open a new class of superconducting materials and interest researchers studying exotic quantum phases.