Alpha particle detection has been achieved using a NiO/β-Ga2O3 heterojunction diode (HJD) detector, demonstrating the great potential of β-Ga2O3 devices for ionizing particle detection. Featuring a large area (700 × 700 μm2) and a low reverse leakage current (10−10 A), the HJD detector exhibited apparent energy spectra of 239Pu-generated alpha particles with an energy of 5.155 MeV at various bias voltages from −20 to −150 V. The peak energy of the energy spectra increased with the bias voltages. In contrast, the full width at half-maximum of the spectra was almost unchanged at high bias voltages, leading to an increased energy resolution with the increase in the bias voltages. The detector's charge collection efficiency (CCE) and energy resolution reached 14.82% and 17.54% at −150 V, respectively. The compromised CCE and energy resolution were revealed to be limited by the insufficient depletion width of the NiO/β-Ga2O3 HJD.

We investigate a scheme for observing the third-order exceptional point (EP3) in an ion–cavity setting. In the lambda-type level configuration, the ion is driven by a pump field, and the resonator is probed with another weak laser field. We exploit the highly asymmetric branching ratio of an ion's excited state to satisfy the weak-excitation limit, which allows us to construct the non-Hermitian Hamiltonian (HnH). Via fitting the cavity-transmission spectrum, the eigenvalues of HnH are obtained. The EP3 appears at a point where the Rabi frequency of the pump laser and the atom-cavity coupling constant balance the loss rates of the system. Feasible experimental parameters are provided.

Due to their widely tunable bandgap, HgCdTe heterostructures with quantum wells are a promising material system for semiconductor lasers in the entire mid-infrared range. Recently, Auger-suppressed structures allowed interband stimulated emission (SE) in the atmospheric transparency window 3–5 μm well above 200 K, while previously it was limited to temperatures below 175 K. In contrast to earlier works focused on ridge or vertical emitting HgCdTe lasers, here we demonstrate a whispering gallery mode microdisk (d = 50 μm) laser operating under optical pumping at ∼4 μm in the temperature range attainable by the thermoelectric cooling. Above 200 K, the emission spectrum consists of multiple 0.37-meV-wide peaks associated with the modes of the disk resonator. Laser generation is achieved up to 230 K, which is 40 K lower than the quenching temperature of SE in the unprocessed macroscopic sample. We associate the difference with the optical losses introduced by the inclined walls of the disk.

In this study, we have employed a high entropy approach to synthesize a hitherto unexplored tetragonal high entropy spinel with composition (Mn0.2Co0.2Ni0.2Cu0.2Zn0.2)Mn1.8Cr0.2O4. The temperature and field-dependent magnetization studies reveal a complex magnetic behavior characterized by a ferrimagnetic transition occurring at (TC) 85 K, followed by a noncollinear magnetic ground state below 23 K. Remarkably, we have observed the appearance of a large exchange bias effect (exchange bias field HEB = 7.6 kOe at 4 K) below the TC = 85 K in the field cooled mode. The uncompensated magnetic moments in this disordered system create unidirectional anisotropy, leading to the exchange bias effect. The appearance of the large exchange bias effect in a complex high entropy oxide (HEO) indicates that disordered ferrimagnetic HEOs are a promising class to explore systems having potential applications in spintronics.

Exploring the deep insight into localization, disorder, and wave transport in non-Hermitian systems is an emergent area of research of relevance in different areas of physics. Engineered photonic lattices, with spatial regions of optical gain and loss, provide a prime and simple physical platform for tailoring non-Hermitian Hamiltonians and for unveiling the intriguing interplay between disorder and non-Hermiticity. Here, it is shown that in mosaic photonic lattices with on-site uncorrelated disorder or quasi-periodic order, the addition of uniform loss at alternating sites of the lattice results in the suppression or enhancement of wave spreading, thus providing a simple method for non-Hermitian control of wave transport in disordered systems. The results are illustrated by considering discrete-time quantum walks in synthetic photonic lattices.

Interfacial adhesion and interfacial thermal resistance (ITR) are two critical factors in the interfacial force and energy transfer, but it is difficult to simultaneously achieve the desirable interfacial adhesion and ITR. Here, we overcome this challenge by fabricating an elastomer composite consisting of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and micro-scale spherical aluminum (Al) fillers, which offers the high adhesion strength (1.28 MPa), high interfacial adhesion energy (528.4 J/m2), and low ITR (0.028 mm2·K/W) between the PDMS/Al elastomer composite and substrates. We further propose a quantified physical model to establish the relationship between interfacial adhesion and ITR for low phonon mismatch interfaces. This work will contribute to the development of interface science and guide the regulation of force and energy transfer at interface for wide range applications, such as electronic packaging, thermal storage, sensors, and medicine.