Condensed matter physics and materials science form a dynamic partnership, exploring how the collective behavior of atoms gives rise to the unique properties of solids and liquids. This field bridges the gap between fundamental quantum mechanics and the practical engineering of everything from flexible electronics to superconductors, turning abstract theories into tangible innovations that shape our daily lives.

At Gist.Science, we process every new preprint in this category directly from arXiv to make these complex discoveries accessible to everyone. Our team generates both plain-language overviews and detailed technical summaries for each paper, ensuring that researchers, students, and curious minds alike can grasp the latest breakthroughs without getting lost in dense jargon.

Below are the latest papers in condensed matter and materials science, organized by their most recent publication dates.

Efficient Picosecond-Laser Lift-Off of Copper Oxide from Copper: Modelling and Experiment

This paper establishes a theoretical framework and validates it experimentally to demonstrate that the optimal fluence for maximizing the lifted-off area in picosecond laser lift-off of copper oxide is F0opt=e1FthF_0^{\mathrm{opt}} = e^{1} F_{\mathrm{th}}, which is substantially lower than the fluence required for maximum ablation volume.

Andrius Žemaitis, Paulius Gečys, Mindaugas Gedvilas2026-03-30🔬 physics.app-ph

Importance of Electronic Entropy for Machine Learning Interatomic Potentials

This paper demonstrates that conventional machine learning interatomic potentials fail to accurately model mixed-valence materials like NaFePO4 due to their inability to capture electronic entropy, but introducing explicit charge-state information into the potential's representation successfully resolves these errors and enables correct structural optimization and thermodynamic predictions.

Martin Hoffmann Petersen, Steen Lysgaard, Arghya Bhowmik, Kedar Hippalgaonkar, Juan Maria Garcia Lastra2026-03-30🔬 cond-mat.mtrl-sci

Role of a Quarter-Wave Plate in Confocal Microscopy: Signature of Spin-Orbit Interactions

This paper demonstrates that embedding a single quarter-wave plate in a confocal microscope induces strong spin-orbit interactions that transform a Gaussian beam into a tunable Hermite-Gaussian-like mode while significantly enhancing the polarization extinction ratio, offering a simple method for spatial mode engineering in standard optical systems.

Wenze Lan, Anton Lögl, Meryem Benelajla, Clemens Schäfermeier, Khaled Karrai, Bernhard Urbaszek2026-03-30🔬 physics.optics

Refining hydrogen positions in {\alpha}-FeOOH through combined neutron diffraction and computational techniques

This study combines neutron diffraction and first-principles calculations to precisely determine the hydrogen positions and confirm the bb-axis antiferromagnetic spin arrangement in α\alpha-FeOOH, demonstrating the effectiveness of this dual approach for undeuterated compounds to aid in understanding CO2_2 reduction mechanisms.

Yusuke Nambu, Akihide Kuwabara, Masahiro Kawamata, Seira Mori, Megumi Okazaki, Kazuhiko Maeda2026-03-30🔬 cond-mat.mtrl-sci

High Magnetoresistance Ratio on hBN Boron-Vacancy/Graphene Magnetic Tunnel Junction

This study utilizes density functional theory and non-equilibrium Green function methods to demonstrate that introducing monoatomic boron vacancies in hexagonal boron nitride layers sandwiching a three-atom-thick graphene layer creates a van der Waals magnetic tunnel junction capable of achieving a record-high tunneling magnetoresistance ratio of approximately 400% due to spin-dependent transmission differences between parallel and antiparallel magnetic configurations.

Halimah Harfah, Yusuf Wicaksono, Gagus Ketut Sunnardianto, Muhammad Aziz Majidi, Koichi Kusakabe2026-03-27🔬 cond-mat.mtrl-sci

Optical Spin Sensing and Metamagnetic Phase Control in the 2D Van der Waals Magnet Yb3+-Doped CrPS4

This study demonstrates that Yb3+ doping in the 2D van der Waals antiferromagnet CrPS4 enables optical spin sensing and control by encoding collective magnetic ordering and metamagnetic spin-flop transitions into the sharp f-f luminescence of the dopants through strong magnetic superexchange coupling.

Jacob T. Baillie, Kimo Pressler, Nick J. Adams, Faris Horani, Thom J. Snoeren, Rémi Beaulac, Daniel R. Gamelin2026-03-27🔬 cond-mat.mtrl-sci

Long lifetimes of nanoscale skyrmions in lithium-decorated van der Waals ferromagnet Fe3_3GeTe2_2

This study proposes and demonstrates via first-principles calculations and simulations that lithium decoration of monolayer Fe3_3GeTe2_2 induces a large Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction, enabling the formation of nanoscale skyrmions with exceptionally high energy barriers and lifetimes exceeding one hour at temperatures up to 75 K.

Soumyajyoti Haldar, Moritz A. Goerzen, Stefan Heinze, Dongzhe Li2026-03-27🔬 cond-mat.mtrl-sci

Nature of magnetic exchange interactions in kagome antiferromagnets FeGe and FeSn

Through first-principles calculations, this study reveals that the magnetic exchange interactions in kagome antiferromagnets FeGe and FeSn arise from a competition between direct ferromagnetic and RKKY antiferromagnetic couplings, where stronger direct interactions in FeGe yield a higher Néel temperature and both materials exhibit a linear dependence of exchange energy on Fe-Fe bond length, suggesting that compressive strain can significantly enhance their magnetic ordering temperatures.

Yitao Zheng, Yan Zhu, Jun Hu2026-03-27🔬 cond-mat.mtrl-sci

Size-dependent transformation patterns in NiTi tubes under tension and bending: Stereo digital image correlation experiments and modeling

This study investigates the size-dependent transformation patterns in superelastic NiTi tubes under tension and bending using high-resolution stereo digital image correlation and gradient-enhanced modeling, revealing that the outer diameter and wall-thickness ratio govern the morphology of martensite bands through the competition between bulk and interfacial energies.

Aslan Ahadi, Elham Sarvari, Jan Frenzel, Gunther Eggeler, Stanisław Stupkiewicz, Mohsen Rezaee-Hajidehi2026-03-27🔬 cond-mat.mtrl-sci