Physical Review E

Using model hydrogels, scientists demonstrate a universal law that governs partitioning of polymer chains into flexible polymer networks. Their work achieves a long-sought but elusive quantitative understanding of linear polymer partitioning. Read more: go.aps.org/4fEh22s

A new study reveals that particles in a strongly confined viscoelastic fluid form chains when a particle-scale Weissenberg number exceeds a critical threshold. “Shuttling" motion promotes collisions and self-organization. 🔗 go.aps.org/4bIjQdO

Researchers characterized novel striated optical emission structures during gas breakdown under radio-frequency excitation — offering insights into plasma stratification that could inform control of plasma systems. Read the Letter: go.aps.org/4x2dPB2

Nests of social wasps achieve architectural coherence through an elegant and localized geometric rearrangement sequence that migrates defects throughout the nest while preserving topology, according to new work published in Physical Review E. 🔗 go.aps.org/3TcysvK

New results parse three definitions of a #quantum system’s internal energy under strongly coupled conditions and employ quench processes and a simple spin model to determine whether these frameworks follow the laws of thermodynamics. 📝go.aps.org/4wEpyFI

A new paper reports that combining fast ignition with magnetized liner inertial fusion, or MagLIF, could reduce the power needed to spark fusion, allowing for longer, lower-energy pulses and keeping more heat trapped inside fuel. 🔗 go.aps.org/3Rb5o7e

💧 Is water's unusual high-frequency sound behavior caused by hydrogen bonds? A new neutron scattering study on hydrogen sulfide reveals which of water's odd dynamics are universal and which are H-bond specific. Read the paper: go.aps.org/4vxfmhm

A new study shows that the conditions required to start an earthquake are different from those needed to sustain a growing rupture — explaining why some earthquakes stop on their own while others expand into larger events. Read more: go.aps.org/4aLLWED

A study identified fundamental limitations of cluster algorithms in frustrated systems, potentially settling a decades-long debate. Physically relevant clusters can be defined, but only through negative probabilities. Learn more: go.aps.org/4wB0yPD

A new Perspective explores the evolving research principles, conceptual shifts, and emerging challenges in the journey from active to odd to smart matter, and argues for the importance of learning alongside explicit control. 📄 go.aps.org/4ydCh3M

The work was done by Eamon Dwight and D. Candela at @UMassAmherst.

An investigation into the mechanical waveform memory of a random, athermal pack of soft frictional grains shows that this medium can recall any one of 128 different waveforms with perfect classification accuracy and 512 different waveforms with over 90%. go.aps.org/4yaJ5Pr

A new paper investigates hyperuniformity in 2D jammed packings of frictionless bidisperse particles, and presents a more precise method to determine the hyperuniformity exponent. Read more: go.aps.org/44eg5ZD

Chitrak Bhowmik and Aparna Baskaran from @BrandeisU and Sriram Ramaswamy from @iiscbangalore authored the study.

How does activity govern structure in filament mixtures? New simulations show that increased collisions at high activities deform the filaments, decreasing segregation. Read the paper: go.aps.org/4y85Fbs

The work was done by Alberto Dinelli at @unige_en, Ada Altieri at the Universite Paris Cite, and Julien Tailleur at @MIT @MIT_Physics.

Weak, random motility regulation can induce complex forms of self-organization in microbial communities. A new study shows that a phase transition leads to distinct, spatially segregated communities as the interaction network becomes more heterogeneous: go.aps.org/4p8PXZK

Marco Baiesi from @UniPadova and Alberto Rosso from @UnivParisSaclay authored the work.

With a generative model based on nonequilibrium visible latent dynamics, researchers show that reversible dynamics limit exploration, while nonequilibrium latent cycles enhance sampling efficiency and likelihood. Read the paper: go.aps.org/4vTNl4u

Attending the International Conference on Magnetic Fluids? 🧲 🌊 Keep an eye out for Elena Sesé Sansa, associate editor of Physical Review E. Stop and say hello, or join her at Thursday's panel on the future of the field: go.aps.org/44eMsaE