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.

Siamese Foundation Models for Crystal Structure Prediction

The paper introduces Diffusion-based Crystal Omni (DAO), a pretrain-finetune framework utilizing Siamese foundation models that significantly outperforms conventional methods in predicting crystal structures, achieving high accuracy on real-world superconductors while operating over 2,000 times faster than DFT-based approaches.

Liming Wu, Wenbing Huang, Rui Jiao, Jianxing Huang, Liwei Liu, Yipeng Zhou, Hao Sun, Yang Liu, Fuchun Sun, Yuxiang Ren, Jirong Wen2026-04-15🔬 cond-mat.mtrl-sci

Teaching Artificial Intelligence to Perform Rapid, Resolution-Invariant Grain Growth Modeling via Fourier Neural Operator

This study introduces a Fourier Neural Operator (FNO) based surrogate model that achieves resolution-invariant, rapid, and accurate prediction of multi-grain microstructural evolution, overcoming the computational limitations of traditional phase-field simulations and the generalization issues of existing machine learning approaches.

Iman Peivaste, Ahmed Makradi, Salim Belouettar2026-04-15🔬 physics

From Heat Capacity to Coherence in Ultra-Narrow-Linewidth Solid-State Optical Emitters at Sub-Kelvin Temperatures

This study demonstrates that a specific europium-doped yttrium orthosilicate crystal exhibits minimal two-level system defects at sub-kelvin temperatures, as evidenced by heat capacity measurements and constant optical coherence, thereby confirming its suitability for high-performance quantum technologies.

D Serrano (ENSCP), T Klein (NEEL), C Marcenat (NEEL), P Goldner (ENSCP), M T Hartman (LNE - SYRTE), B Fang (LNE - SYRTE), Y Le Coq (LIPhy), S Seidelin (NEEL)2026-04-15🔬 cond-mat.mtrl-sci

Guidelines for the optimization of hafnia-based ferroelectrics through superlattice engineering

This study demonstrates that hafnia-zirconia superlattices with 87.5% ZrO2_2 content achieve record-breaking remnant polarization and endurance while promoting sustainability through the substitution of hafnium with abundant zirconium.

Johanna van Gent, Binayak Mukherjee, Ewout van der Veer, Ellen M. Kiens, Gertjan G. Koster, Bart J. Kooi, Jorge Íñiguez-González, Beatriz Noheda2026-04-15🔬 cond-mat.mtrl-sci

Unified Statistical Theory of Heat Conduction in Nonuniform Media

This paper presents a unified statistical theory of heat conduction in nonuniform media by deriving a causal spatiotemporal kernel via the Zwanzig projection-operator formalism, which microscopically encodes memory, nonlocality, and heterogeneity to seamlessly bridge classical diffusion, hydrodynamic, and quasi-ballistic transport regimes while recovering conventional coefficients as coarse-grained limits.

Yi Zeng, Jianjun Dong2026-04-15🔬 cond-mat.mes-hall

Intertwined polar, chiral, and ferro-rotational orders in a rotation-only insulator

This study experimentally demonstrates the mutual coupling of polar, chiral, and ferro-rotational orders in the insulator Ni3_3TeO6_6 using multimodal optics and Ginzburg-Landau theory, revealing how these intertwined orders govern domain formation and dictate the emergence of mixed Néel- and Bloch-type domain walls.

Weizhe Zhang, June Ho Yeo, Xiaoyu Guo, Tony Chiang, Nishkarsh Agarwal, John T. Heron, Kai Sun, Junjie Yang, Sang-Wook Cheong, Youngjun Ahn, Liuyan Zhao2026-04-15🔬 cond-mat.mtrl-sci

Ferroelectric Switchable Topological Magnon Hall Effect in Type-I Multiferroics

This paper proposes a theoretical framework demonstrating that ferroelectric polarization switching in 2D multiferroics, exemplified by monolayer \mboxTi2\mboxF3\mbox{Ti}_{2}\mbox{F}_{3}, enables nonvolatile, reversible electric control of magnon transport and Hall effects by modulating spin exchanges and reversing Berry curvature.

Quanchao Du, Jinlian Lu, Xueqing Wan, Zhenlong Zhang, Zhijun Jiang2026-04-15🔬 cond-mat.mtrl-sci

Electrical Conductivity of Copper-Graphene (Cu-Gr) Composites: The Underlying Mechanisms of Ultrahigh Conductivity

This study elucidates the fundamental mechanisms behind the ultrahigh electrical conductivity of copper-graphene composites, demonstrating that a 17.1% conductivity enhancement is achievable only through the synergistic optimization of graphene continuity and the specific surface area of the copper matrix.

Jiali Yao, Uschuas Dipta Das, Hamid Safari, Md Ashiqur Rahman Laskar, Junghoon Yeom, Umberto Celano, Wonmo Kang2026-04-15🔬 cond-mat.mtrl-sci

Exciton radiative lifetimes in hexagonal diamond Ge and Six_xGe1x_{1-x} alloys

This study uses Bethe-Salpeter calculations to demonstrate that while pristine hexagonal diamond Ge exhibits extremely long excitonic radiative lifetimes inconsistent with reported strong room-temperature photoluminescence, alloying with Si or applying uniaxial strain can significantly reduce these lifetimes, though the ideal crystal alone cannot explain the experimental observations.

Michele Re Fiorentin, Michele Amato, Maurizia Palummo2026-04-15🔬 cond-mat.mtrl-sci

Stoichiometry-Controlled Structural Order and Tunable Antiferromagnetism in FexNbSe2\mathrm{Fe}_{x}\mathrm{NbSe_2} (0.05x0.380.05 \le x \le 0.38)

This study establishes a precise stoichiometry-structure-magnetism correlation in FexNbSe2\mathrm{Fe}_{x}\mathrm{NbSe_2}, revealing that a well-ordered 2a0×2a02a_0 \times 2a_0 Fe superlattice at x=0.25x=0.25 maximizes antiferromagnetic coupling (TN=175KT_{\mathrm{N}}=175\mathrm{K}) while deviations from this optimal ordering induce a complex sequence of magnetic phase transitions from paramagnetism to spin-glass and back.

Xiaotong Xu, Bei Jiang, Runze Wang, Zhibin Qiu, Shu Guo, Baiqing Lv, Ruidan Zhong2026-04-15🔬 cond-mat.mtrl-sci