Researchers observe translation symmetry breaking in twisted bilayer graphene - Phys.org - Translation

The top panel of the attached image shows the team's main measurements. The bottom panel summarizes the trajectories observed in the upper panel. The blue lines correspond to the Chern insulators that follow the conventional sequence, while the orange lines correspond to the new Chern insulators that break the translation symmetry of the lattice. Credit: Pierce et al.

Magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene is a material made of two sheets of graphene placed on top of each other, with one sheet twisted at precisely 1.05 degrees with respect to the other. This material has been found to be a very promising platform for studying different phases of matter, as it combines metallic, superconducting, magnetic and insulating phases in a single crystal.

Magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene is known to support flat energy bands with topological properties that can be accessed under specific conditions. Recent studies have found that strong interactions can isolate these topological bands, allowing the system to support so-called Chern insulator ground states. In Chern insulator ground states, the bulk of the material is insulating, yet electrons can propagate along the edges without dissipating heat.

Researchers at Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and National Institute for Materials Science in Japan have recently carried out a study aimed at investigating Chern insulator ground states in twisted bilayer graphene. Their paper, published in Nature Physics, provides evidence of the existence of a sequence of incompressible states with unpredicted Chern numbers in this fascinating material.

"While the Chern insulators reported to date follow a simple sequence corresponding to spin-valley symmetry breaking, our paper reports numerous new Chern insulators in which electron-electron interactions break the translation symmetry of the lattice," Andrew Pierce, one of the researchers who carried out the study, told Phys.org.

Pierce and his colleagues gathered a series of measurements using a scanning single-electron-transistor microscope. This instrument can be an extremely sensitive local detector of electrical charge.

"We take advantage of our microscope's spatial resolution to identify the most pristine, disorder-free regions of the device, where we observe signatures of fragile topological insulating states that are not visible in resistivity measurements," said Yonglong Xie, a co-author on the study.

In their experiments, Pierce and his colleagues unveiled a sequence of incompressible states with unexpected Chern numbers observed down to zero magnetic field. In addition, they found that the Chern numbers for eight of these states cannot be captured by theories in which the bands in magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene are sequentially filled. The researchers showed that the emergence of these unusual phases could be a consequence of a broken translation symmetry.

"The realization that unusual translational symmetry broken states are present in magic angle graphene expands the repertoire of correlated and topological behaviors in this system," said Pablo Jarillo-Herrero, Cecil and Ida Green Professor of Physics at MIT. "In fact, such translational symmetry broken states are ubiquitous in quantum materials, but they can be investigated in much more detail in magic angle graphene, which could lead to a deeper fundamental understanding of their origin, with lessons that may be broadly applicable to other correlated materials."

In the future, the findings gathered by this team of researchers could have important implications for the study of Chern insulator states in magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene, as well as symmetry breaking in other materials, such as high-T_c superconductors. Overall, this study significantly extends the known phase diagram of magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene and sheds light on the possible origin of the close competition between different correlated phases within it.

"An important question for future studies is whether translation symmetry breaking favors or disfavors superconductivity in magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene," said Amir Yacoby, Professor of Physics at Harvard. "Our work also raises the possibility of discovering new topological phases of matter in magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene beyond the states reported here, especially those that may support exotic types of quasiparticles."

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Universal sequence of Chern insulators in superconducting magic angle graphene

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More information: Andrew T. Pierce et al, Unconventional sequence of correlated Chern insulators in magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene, Nature Physics (2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41567-021-01347-4

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Citation: Researchers observe translation symmetry breaking in twisted bilayer graphene (2021, October 18) retrieved 19 October 2021 from https://ift.tt/3BWQJzI

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Pioneering German Translation of the Talmud from 1935 Now Accessible Online - Jewish Exponent - Translation

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Pioneering German Translation of the Talmud from 1935 Now Accessible Online  Jewish Exponent

Springer Nature introduces free auto-translation service for books and manuscripts - The Bookseller - Translation

Published October 18, 2021 by Sian Bayley

Springer Nature has introduced a free auto-translation service for books and manuscripts for its authors

Springer Nature has introduced a free auto-translation service for books and manuscripts for its authors.

The move seeks to reduce language barriers and follows a successful pilot using DeepL AI. The publisher said it would use the technology "to fill a critical gap and seamlessly integrate auto-translation into its book publishing process". The service will be available for book authors across all disciplines as well as for submitted manuscripts, enabling them to translate their work from multiple languages, including German, Chinese and French, into English. 

A human check is carried out for accuracy of the translated content and translations are only published with the approval of authors who retain copyright over the original and the translation.

Stephanie Preuss, senior manager for product and content solutions, said: “Feedback from our authors is that translating their books and manuscripts is costly and often time-consuming. The Springer Nature translator uses technology to improve research, open up new possibilities for authors and help us advance discovery. It will hopefully enable authors, who may not have otherwise, to publish their work in more than one language.”

Springer Nature is holding an event on the role AI can play in changing science and open research as part of it virtual presence at this week's Frankfurt Book Fair. “How Artificial Intelligence and machine learning is opening up science” will take place on 21st October at 12 p.m. CEST. Recordings of the event will be made available afterwards. 

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The immense reward of banishing ‘no’ from your creative dictionary - Fortune - Dictionary

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Great New Nonfiction in Translation - Book Riot - Translation

When it comes to books in translation, fiction and poetry usually get the most attention. Major prizes, reading lists, and book chatter tend to focus on those two genres, especially fiction. As someone who follows books in translation closely, I do see fewer nonfiction books on offer.

But as a reader of both nonfiction and of books in translation, I’m always on the hunt for where these areas overlap. Give me more memoirs, essays, travel books, nature books, and all kinds of nonfiction from around the world, please! We need to hear from writers everywhere who work in all different kinds of forms and modes.

The books below include memoir, essay, nature, and science writing. They touch on topics as varied as #MeToo, climate change, and state violence. They also dive into personal issues such as memory, identity, the body, and becoming an adult. These books are varied, innovative, and exciting.

All the books below have come out in English in the last year, some of them in the last month. Translation takes time, however. Usually books come out in their home countries earlier than their translations, in some cases much earlier. But this list offers some of the most exciting nonfiction work newly available to English readers. Here’s hoping for more!

Take a look at the list and explore some fabulous nonfiction from around the world!

Migratory Birds by Mariana Oliver, Translated by Julia Sanches

This book is part of Transit Press’s fantastic “Undelivered Lectures” series, which features book-length essays from authors around the world. Mariana Oliver writes about many kinds of migration, from literal travel to metaphorical journeys through language, pain, and memory. She ranges from migrating birds to the history of Berlin to the underground city of Cappadocia. It’s an essay collection that blends personal writing with history and reporting to explore what it means to be in movement.

Distant Fathers by Marina Jarre, Translated by Ann Goldstein

This autobiography was originally published in 1987 and is newly translated into English. Marina Jarre tells the story of growing up in Latvia in the 1920s and ’30s and then her later move to the Italian countryside as an adolescent. She writes about her complicated family history, including her Jewish father who died in the holocaust and her Italian mother who translated Russian literature. The book explores her shifting identities and asks questions about the nature of home and belonging.

Black Box by Shiori Ito, Translated by Allison Markin Powell

This book is subtitled “The Memoir That Sparked Japan’s #MeToo Movement.” Originally published in 2017, it became the center of cultural and legal changes in how sexual assault and rape are treated in Japan. Journalist Shiori Ito tells her story of being raped by a famous reporter. She describes how her case was treated as a “black box,” as untouchable. It’s a wrenching personal story. It’s also a look at how the Japanese legal system and society at large have failed to support victims of sexual assault and rape.

In Memory of Memory by Maria Stepanova, Translated by Sasha Dugdale

Some call In Memory of Memory a novel, so arguably it shouldn’t be on my list. But it’s a genre-bending, unclassifiable mix of essay, memoir, travel, and history, as well as fiction. After the death of her aunt, the book’s narrator sifts through her apartment with its letters, postcards, and souvenirs. With these pieces, the narrator tells the story of an ordinary family trying to survive the devastations of the 20th century. It’s a beautiful meditation on family, history, and memory.

A Girl’s Story by Annie Ernaux, Translated by Alison L. Strayer

A Girl’s Story is an account of 18-year-old Annie Ernaux in 1958 when she leaves home for the first time to work as a camp counselor. Ernaux examines not only what happened during this period and in the years after, but also how she feels about the experience from the vantage point of 50 years later. The book is a beautiful contemplation of desire, memory, time, and the self. It’s also the story of how Ernaux emerged from this difficult period as a young woman ready to become a writer.

I Live a Life Like Yours: A Memoir by Jan Grue, Translated by B.L. Cook

Subtitled “a memoir,” this book contains elements of essay as well. Jan Grue reflects on philosophy, film, art, and writing at the same time as he tells his story of living with spinal muscular atrophy. It’s a story of a child coming to understand his vulnerable body and an adult trying to negotiate life in a wheelchair. In the vein of Maggie Nelson and Anne Boyer, Jan Grue combines ideas and stories to explore living with one’s body’s limitations. It’s an important addition to the literature of disability.

Grieving: Dispatches from a Wounded Country by Cristina Rivera Garza, Translated by Sarah Booker

This collection looks at the effects of violence and mourning in contemporary Mexico. Cristina Rivera Garza tells stories of those lost in violence and those who grieve them. She analyzes the relationship of the state and drug wars and reflects on what years of violence have done to the country and its culture. The book is a mix of personal, journalistic, poetic, and philosophical writing. It’s sobering and wise and beautiful.

On Time and Water by Andri Snaer Magnason, Translated by Lytton Smith

In On Time and Water, Icelandic author Andri Snaer Magnason grapples with climate change. He approaches the issue with both realism and hope. The book combines personal writing, travel, science, and history, and makes a plea for immediate action. It ranges from glaciers to his family history to the Dalai Lama, looking at climate change from a broad, varied perspective. Focusing on his personal connection to glaciers, Magnason offers a wise-ranging and philosophical approach to our most pressing crisis.

October Child by Linda Boström Knausgård, Translated by Saskia Vogel

October Child is a memoir about Linda Boström Knausgård’s struggle with mental illness and isolation. Between 2013 and 2017, Linda Boström Knausgård spent some time in a psychiatric ward and was treated with electroshock therapy. This resulted in the loss of some of her memory. The book explores with what it means to be a writer whose memories are disappearing. It tries to make sense of identity, stories, and writing in the face of loss and suffering.

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On the lookout for more great books in translation? Check out our list of 2021 new releases by women in translation and 24 must-read 2021 books in translation. Want more excellent nonfiction? We have an introduction to literary nonfiction post and a list of 50 of the best nonfiction books for you.

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On Translating Tove Ditlevsen - The New Yorker - Translation

Dictionary donation | News West Publishing - Mohave Valley News - Dictionary

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