Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC) is a singular research center born in 2000 devoted to research at the cutting edge in the fields of Condensed Matter Physics and Materials Science. Since its conception DIPC has stood for the promotion of excellence in research, which demands a flexible space where creativity is stimulated by diversity of perspectives. Its dynamic research community integrates local host scientists and a constant flow of international visiting researchers.
In the world of nanophotonics, the ability to control light with precision at the nanoscale is a game-changing goal. Recent advancements in materials science have opened up new pathways for achieving this, particularly through the use of van der Waals (vdW) crystals. These ultra-thin materials, composed of layers of atoms held together by weak van […]
The origins of life on Earth remain one of the most fascinating and profound questions in science. A new research sheds light on this mystery by exploring how the building blocks of life could have formed under early Earth conditions. In this study, we focused on understanding how simple chemicals might have come together to […]
Twisted bilayer graphene (TBG) has garnered significant attention due to its unique electronic properties, especially when the two graphene layers are misaligned by a specific “magic” angle. This misalignment leads to the formation of moiré patterns, resulting in flat electronic bands that enhance electron interactions and give rise to phenomena such as superconductivity and insulating […]
Wandering black holes, a class of black holes that are not anchored to the centres of galaxies, are a fascinating yet elusive aspect of our universe. These black holes are not formed by the typical processes that create stellar black holes, which occur when massive stars run out of fuel and collapse under their own […]
In a recent research, Jonathan D’Emidio and Anders W. Sandvik studied a property of quantum systems called Rényi entanglement entropy (EE) in a specific two-dimensional quantum spin model known as the J-Q model . This model is significant because it describes a type of deconfined quantum criticality , which occurs at a phase transition between […]
Spintronics is a field of technology that focuses on using the spin of electrons—an intrinsic property that can be thought of as a tiny magnetic moment—to store and process information. This concept is based on the fact that electrons, in addition to carrying electric charge, also have a “spin,” which can be oriented in different […]
Scientists seeking better methods for controlling the quantum interactions between light and matter demonstrated a novel way to use light to give electrons a spinning kick. The results of their experiment show that a light beam can reliably transfer orbital angular momentum to itinerant electrons in graphene. Having tight control over the way that light […]
In certain materials, when we apply an electric field (it could be that of light) that vibrates at a certain frequency, it can create a direct current, a steady flow of electrical charge. This current is special because its strength depends on the square of the electric field’s strength. This phenomenon is called “shift current.” […]
Numerous proteins in the cell withstand mechanical loads while performing their function. This is especially significant for cell-surface proteins located in the extracellular matrix, which are essential for the communication between cells in the extracellular milieu. Reacting to mechanical force through conformational changes is crucial for these cell-surface proteins, translating a physical signal into an […]
The term FGK star designates a star the spectrum of which makes it either an F-type star (yellow-white, a bit hotter than then Sun ), a G-type star (yellow, similar to the Sun), or a K-type star (orange, a bit cooler than the Sun). FGK stars come in a variety of sizes but segregating them […]