For more than a century, schoolbook physics has divided matter into neat categories like solid, liquid, gas, and plasma. A ...

Physicists begin to shed light on one of the most important questions regarding quantum spin liquids, and they do so by introducing a new phase of matter. Quantum spin liquids are difficult to explain ...

A GIF showing ion movement in an organic electrolyte in both a disordered fluid state and a self-assembled crystalline state. Green dots representing negative ions move erratically between long, ...

When ice melts into water, it happens quickly, with the transition from solid to liquid being immediate. However, very thin materials do not adhere to these rules. Instead, an unusual state between ...

A schematic illustrating the branched flow of light in an NLC film. The random orientation of NLC molecules within a glass cell can be adjusted using an electrical voltage bias. Credit: Chang, Ss., Wu ...

Researchers directly filmed an atomically thin crystal melting, revealing an exotic hexatic phase that defies standard melting rules and contradicts theory. (Nanowerk News) When ice melts into water, ...