Nature Physics

Nature Physics, Published online: 21 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41567-026-03410-4 The energy gain of laser wakefield accelerators is tied to the distance over which electrons are accelerated. Now this limitation can be overcome with flying-focus laser pulses, allowing electrons to surf the plasma wave over longer distances.

Nature Physics, Published online: 18 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41567-026-03378-1 Creation and annihilation of topological defects are prevalent in active materials. It is now shown that in living systems with nematic order, polar propulsion breaks mirror symmetry during these processes.

Nature Physics, Published online: 13 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41567-026-03413-1 The location of the melting curve of diamond is unclear. Now, this is illuminated with shock compression experiments that provide strong evidence for shock-induced melting.

Nature Physics, Published online: 12 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41567-026-03389-y Preparation of thermal and ground states is needed for a number of quantum algorithms but is generally computationally difficult. Now state preparation algorithms with efficiency guarantees have been developed for an important class of model.

Nature Physics, Published online: 11 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41567-026-03409-x Systems of coupled self-propulsive components, both biological and synthetic, display coordinated dynamics. Experiments with three-dimensional printed motors now show that rotary motion can lead to spatiotemporal order as well as disorder-induced wave propagation.

Nature Physics, Published online: 11 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41567-026-03398-x Wigner crystals have been observed in 2D semiconductors, but their internal dynamics have been largely inaccessible. Now this is demonstrated in a monolayer semiconductor.

Nature Physics, Published online: 11 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41567-026-03395-0 Electron Wigner crystals have been observed in atomically thin transition metal dichalcogenides, but their collective excitations have not been shown. Now the signatures of these excitations are revealed in the optical spectra of a charge-tunable monolayer semiconductor.

Nature Physics, Published online: 10 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41567-026-03421-1 Silent whales leave a trace

Nature Physics, Published online: 10 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41567-026-03424-y A well-known fluid dynamical instability may hold the key to understanding shape changes and spatial organization in certain biological systems.

Nature Physics, Published online: 10 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41567-026-03404-2 Owing to its exceptional characteristics, diamond finds many applications in metrology. Anita Chandran introduces us to the glittering world of natural and synthetic diamonds.

Nature Physics, Published online: 10 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41567-026-03403-3 No free energy

Nature Physics, Published online: 10 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41567-026-03419-9 Methanesulfonic acid matters in marine regions

Nature Physics, Published online: 10 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41567-026-03420-2 A cell stethoscope

Nature Physics, Published online: 07 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41567-026-03407-z Analysis of the mechanical properties of mitotic chromosomes is key for understanding the robustness of chromosomes during cell division. It is now shown that chromosomes are highly mechanically heterogeneous.

Nature Physics, Published online: 31 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41567-026-03380-7 Conventional physics publications systematically omit the failed experiments and informal collaborations that contribute to physicists’ knowledge. We propose an inverse seminar format to narrow the gap between published and actual physics.

Nature Physics, Published online: 31 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41567-026-03394-1 Elastic stresses are believed to play a role in the vitrification process in glasses, but measuring them is challenging. Imposing elastic boundary conditions is now shown to provide a way to probe elastic effects within glassy samples.

Nature Physics, Published online: 30 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41567-026-03321-4 Using Brillouin-based phonon spectroscopy, surface interactions have been identified as the dominant source of phonon decoherence in crystalline media. When these interactions are reduced through chemical mechanical polishing, high-frequency bulk acoustic wave oscillators can be realized with record Q-factors and coher…

Nature Physics, Published online: 30 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41567-026-03384-3 Detecting quantized circulation in strongly correlated matter is challenging. Now it has been shown that phononic interferometry can reveal the quantized angular momentum of a strongly interacting rotating superfluid.

Nature Physics, Published online: 29 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41567-026-03355-8 Separating long-term trends in the Earth system from instrumental drift is challenging. Yolanda Shea, Peter Pilewskie, and Rajendra Bhatt describe the push for gold-standard references in space.

Nature Physics, Published online: 28 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41567-026-03376-3 Reply to: Conductance measurements cannot distinguish crossed Andreev reflection from elastic co-tunnelling in normal–superconductor–normal junctions