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There has been a significant focus on real topological systems that enjoy space-time inversion symmetry (PT ) and lack spin-orbit coupling. While the theoretical classification of the real topology has been established, more progress has yet to be made in the materials realization of such real topological systems in three dimensions (3D). To address this crucial issue, by selecting the carbon-based material candidates as targets, we perform high-throughput computing to inspect the real topology in the phonon spectrums of the 3D carbon allotropes in the Samara Carbon Allotrope Database (SACADA). Among 1192 kinds of 3D carbon allotropes, we find 65 real topological systems with a phononic real Chern insulating (PRCI) state, 2 real topological systems with a phononic real nodal line (PRNL) state, 10 real topological systems with a phononic real Dirac point (PRDP) state, and 8 real topological systems with a phononic real triple-point pair (PRTPP) state. This extremely expands the material candidates with real topology, especially for the gapless topological phonons. We exhibit the PRCI, PRNL, PRTPP, and PRDP states of 27-SG. 166-pcu-h, 1081-SG. 194- 4 2T13-CA, 52-SG. 141-gis, and 132-SG. 191-3,4T157 as illustrative examples, and explore the second-order boundary mode, i.e., phononic hinge mode. Among the four examples, the materials 1081-SG. 194-42T13-CA and 52-SG. 141-gis are so ideal that the PRNL and PRTPP in them are well separated from other bands, and the phononic hinge mode can be clearly observed. This study aims to broaden the understanding of 3D topological phonons, and emphasizes the potential of 3D carbon allotropes as a valuable framework for exploring the fascinating physics related to phononic hinge modes and phononic real topology.

Tensor computations, with matrix multiplication being the primary operation, serve as the fundamental basis for data analysis, physics, machine learning, and deep learning. As the scale and complexity of data continue to grow rapidly, the demand for tensor computations has also increased significantly. To meet this demand, several research institutions have started developing dedicated hardware for tensor computations. To further improve the computational performance of tensor process units, we have reexamined the issue of computation reuse that was previously overlooked in existing architectures. As a result, we propose a novel EN-TensorCore architecture that can significantly reduce chip area and power consumption. Furthermore, our method is compatible with existing tensor processing architectures. We evaluated our method on prevalent microarchitectures, the results demonstrate an average improvement in area efficiency of 8.7\%, 12.2\%, and 11.0\% for tensor computing units at computational scales of 256 GOPS, 1 TOPS, and 4 TOPS, respectively. Similarly, there were energy efficiency enhancements of 13.0\%, 17.5\%, and 15.5\%., Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures

A real Chern insulator (RCI) featuring a real Chern number and a second-order boundary mode appears in a two-dimensional (2D) system with the space-time inversion symmetry (PT ). Here, we propose a kind of RCI: mirror real Chern insulator (MRCI) which emerges from the system having additional horizontal mirror symmetry Mz. The MRCI generally is characterized by two independent real Chern numbers, respectively defined in the two mirror subsystems of the system. Hence, the MRCI may host the second-order boundary modes different from the conventional RCI. We show that for spinless systems, the definition of the MRCI is straightforward, as PT keeps each mirror subsystem invariant. For the spinful systems with both PT and Mz, the real Chern number for the total system remain well defined, as MzPT = C2zT , and (C2zT )2= 1. However, since C2zT exchanges the two mirror subsystems, the definition of the MRCI in spinful systems requires the help of projective symmetry algebra. We also discuss the MRCIs in 3D systems, where the MRCI is defined on certain mirror-invariant 2D planes. Compared with its 2D counterpart, the 3D MRCI can exhibit more abundant physics when the systems have additional nonsymmorphic operators. Several concrete MRCI models including 2D and 3D, spinless and spinful models are constructed to further demonstrate our ideas.

While significant interests have been devoted to the double diffusive phase change heat transfer of binary solutions, the understanding on the melting heat transfer of salty ice in porous media is still imcomplete. This work aims to explore the melting heat transfer characteristics of salty ice in a square cavity filled with homogeneous porous media subjected to lateral heating. In order to facilitate the visualization of melting dynamics in a uniform porous media, a three-dimensional (3D) printed transparent cavity filled with porous matrix was manufactured, featuring an open upper end. Aqueous solutions of sodium chloride at concentration both higher and lower than the eutectic concentration were investigated. Lateral heating experiments with constant heat flux were conducted in a subzero temperature environment. The effect of heating power, initial concentrations and different sizes of porous matrix was investigated. Distinct phenomena were observed based on the concentration of the aqueous solution. Specifically, the concentration lower than the eutectic concentration results in an upward bending melting interface. Whereas the concentration surpassing the eutectic concentration resulted in a downward bending melting interface. In the presence of salt, a melting convex appears at the bottom of the melting interface and manifests during the whole melting process. Notably, smaller matrix enables faster melting rate. Furthermore, three distinct stages were revealed in our experiments, characterized as conduction, mixture of conduction and ultimately convection stage. The correlations for Nu and the average propagation rate of mushy/liquid interface were established by order of magnitude analysis and fit well with the experiments., Comment: 27 pages, 13 figures

Due to the necessary security for the airport and flight, passengers are required to have strict security check before getting aboard. However, there are frequent complaints of wasting huge amount of time while waiting for the security check. This paper presents a potential solution aimed at optimizing gate setup procedures specifically tailored for Chicago OHare International Airport. By referring to queueing theory and performing Monte Carlo simulations, we propose an approach to significantly diminish the average waiting time to a more manageable level. Additionally, our study meticulously examines and identifies the influential factors contributing to this optimization, providing a comprehensive understanding of their impact.

Recently, the real topology has been attracting widespread interest in two dimensions (2D). Here, based on first-principles calculations and theoretical analysis, we reveal the monolayer Cr$_2$Se$_2$O (ML-CrSeO) as the first material example of a 2D antiferromagnetic (AFM) real Chern insulator (RCI) with topologically protected corner states. Unlike previous RCIs, we find that the real topology of the ML-CrSeO is rooted in one certain mirror subsystem of the two spin channels, and can not be directly obtained from all the valence bands in each spin channel as commonly believed. In particular, due to antiferromagnetism, the corner modes in ML-CrSeO exhibit strong corner-contrasted spin polarization, leading to spin-corner coupling (SCC). This SCC enables a direct connection between spin space and real space. Consequently, large and switchable net magnetization can be induced in the ML-CrSeO nanodisk by electrostatic means, such as potential step and in-plane electric field, and the corresponding magnetoelectric responses behave like a sign function, distinguished from that of the conventional multiferroic materials. Our work considerably broadens the candidate range of RCI materials, and opens up a new direction for topo-spintronics and 2D AFM materials research.

Recently, Wang et al. [Phys. Rev. B, 106, 195129 (2022)] challenged a widely held belief in the field of Weyl physics, demonstrating that single-pair-Weyl-points (SP-WPs) can exist in nonmagnetic spinless systems, contrary to previous assumptions that they could only exist in magnetic systems. Wang et al. observed that the SP-WPs with opposite and even chiral charges (i.e., |C| = 2 or 4) could also exist in nonmagnetic spinless systems. In this Letter, we present a novel finding in which SP-WPs have a partner, namely a charged nodal surface, in nonmagnetic spinless systems. In contrast to previous observations, we show that the SP-WPs can have uneven chiral charges (i.e., |C| = 1). We identify 6 (out of 230) space groups (SGs) that contain such SP-WPs by searching the encyclopedia of emergent particles in three-dimensional crystals. Our finds were confirmed through the phonon spectra of two specific materials Zr3O (with SG 182) and NaPH2NO3 (with SG 173). This discovery broadens the range of materials that can host SP-WPs and applies to other nonmagnetic spinless crystals.

When the spin-orbit coupling (SOC) is absent, almost all the proposed half-metals with the twofold degenerate nodal points at the K (or K') in two-dimensional (2D) materials are misclassified as "Dirac half-metals" owing to the way graphene was utilized in the earliest studies. Actually, each band crossing point at K or K' is described by a 2D Weyl Hamiltonian with definite chirality; hence, it must be a Weyl point. To the best of our knowledge, there have been no reports of a genuine (i.e., fourfold degenerate) Dirac point half-metal in 2D yet. In this Letter, we proposed for the first time that the 2D d0-type ferromagnet Mg4N4 is a genuine Dirac half-metal with a fourfold degenerate Dirac point at the S high-symmetry point, intrinsic magnetism, high Curie temperature, 100% spin-polarization, robustness to the SOC and uniaxial and biaxial strains, and 100% spin-polarized edge states. The work can be seen as a starting point for future predictions of intrinsically magnetic materials with genuine Dirac points, which will aid the frontier of topo-spintronics researchers.

The discovery of topological quantum states in two-dimensional (2D) systems is one of the most promising advancements in condensed matter physics. Linear Weyl point (LWP) phonons have been theoretically investigated in some 2D materials. Especially, Jin, Wang, and Xu [Nano Lett. 2018, 18, 12, 7755-7760] proposed in 2018 that the candidates with threefold rotational symmetry at the corners of the hexagonal Brillouin zone can host LWP phonons with a quantized valley Berry phase. However, all the candidates with hexagonal lattices may not host LWP phonons at $K$ ($K'$) high-symmetry points (HSPs). Hence, a more accurate recipe for LWP phonons in 2D is highly required. This work provides an exhaustive list of valley LWP phonons at HSPs in 2D by searching the entire 80 layer groups (LGs). We found that the valley LWP phonons can be obtained at HSPs in 11 of the 80 LGs. Guided by the symmetry analysis, we also contributed to realizing the ideal 2D material with valley LWP phonons. We identified the existence of the valley LWP phonons in eleven 2D material candidates with 11 LGs. This work offers a method to search for valley LWPs in 2D phononic systems and proposes 2D material candidates to obtain the valley LWP phonons.

Topological states of matter and their corresponding properties are classical research topics in condensed matter physics. Quite recently, the application of materials that feature these states has been extended to the field of electrochemical catalysis and become an emerging research topic that is receiving increasing interest. In particular, several recent experimental studies performed on topological semimetals have already revealed high catalytic performance towards hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), strongly promoting acceptance of the fresh concept of the topological catalyst. This emerging concept has experienced rapid developments in the last few years, but these developments have been rarely summarized. Herein, we offer a comprehensive review on the state-of-the-art progress in developing topological catalysts for the HER process through topological semimetals such as Weyl semimetals, Dirac semimetals, nodal line semimetals, etc. The course of development, the general research routes, and the fundamental mechanisms in topological catalysts are also systematically analyzed in this review., Comment: 4 figures

The realization of Weyl systems with the minimum nonzero number of Weyl points (WPs) and full spin polarization remains challenging in topology physics and spintronic. In this study, for the first time, we used first-principle calculations and symmetry analysis to demonstrate that BaNiIO$_6$, a dynamically and thermodynamically stable half-metallic material, hosts fully spin-polarized single-pair WPs (SP-WPs) with a charge number ($\cal{C}$) of $\pm$2 and a type-\uppercase\expandafter{\romannumeral3} band dispersion around the Fermi level. Moreover, the fully spin-polarized SP-WPs induce double-helicoid Fermi arcs on the (10$\overline{1}$0) surface. The half-metallic state and the spin-polarized SP-WPs are robust to uniform strains (from -10\% to +8\%) and on-site Hubbard-Coulomb interactions (from 0 eV to 6 eV). When +9 % or +10 % uniform strain is applied to the BaNiIO$_6$ system, it hosts six additional type-\uppercase\expandafter{\romannumeral2} WPs with $\lvert{\cal{C}}\rvert=1$ in the three-dimensional Brillouin zone in addition to the two type-\uppercase\expandafter{\romannumeral3} WPs with $\lvert{\cal{C}}\rvert=2$. We hope that this study will motivate future research into SP-WPs half-metals.

Phonons are an ideal platform for realizing stable spinless two-dimensional (2D) Dirac points because they have a bosonic nature and hard-to-break time-reversal symmetry. It should be noted that the twofold degenerate nodal points in the phonon dispersions of almost all reported 2D materials are misclassified as 'Dirac points' owing to a historical issue. The correct name for these twofold degenerate nodal points should be 'Weyl' because 2D phononic systems are essentially spinless and because each twofold degenerate point is described by a Weyl model in two dimensions. To date, there have been no reports of fourfold degenerate Dirac point phonons in 2D materials. In this study, we searched through the entire 80 layer groups (LGs) and discovered that Dirac phonons can be realized in 7 of the 80 LGs. Moreover, the Dirac points in the phonon dispersions of 2D materials can be divided into essential and accidental degenerate points, which appear at high-symmetry points and on high-symmetry lines, respectively. Guided by symmetry analysis, we identified the presence of Dirac phonons in several 2D material candidates with six LGs. This letter offers a method for identifying Dirac phonons in 2D and proposes 2D material candidates for realizing Dirac phonons.

One of the key problems in valleytronics is to realize valley polarization. Ferrovalley (FV) semiconductor and half-valley-metal (HVM) have been proposed, which possess intrinsic spontaneous valley polarization. Here, we propose the concept of quasi-half-valley-metal (QHVM), including electron and hole carriers with only a type of carriers being valley polarized. The QHVM may realize separation function of electron and hole. A concrete example of $\mathrm{VGe_2P_4}$ monolayer is used to illustrate our proposal through the first-principle calculations. To better realize QHVM, the electric field is applied to tune related valley properties of $\mathrm{VGe_2P_4}$. Within considered electric field range, $\mathrm{VGe_2P_4}$ is always ferromagnetic (FM) ground state, which possesses out-of-plane magnetization by calculating magnetic anisotropy energy (MAE) including magnetic shape anisotropy (MSA) and magnetocrystalline anisotropy (MCA) energies. These out-of-plane FM properties guarantee intrinsic spontaneous valley polarization in $\mathrm{VGe_2P_4}$. Within a certain range of electric field, the QHVM can be maintained, and the related polarization properties can be effectively tuned. Our works pave the way toward two-dimensional (2D) functional materials design of valleytronics., Comment: 8 pages, 10 figures. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:2208.02425

Unconventional Weyl point with nonlinear dispersion features higher topological charge $|{\cal{C}}|>1$ and multiple topologically protected Fermi arc states at its boundary. As a novel topological state, it has been attracting widespread attention. However, the unconventional Weyl point with $|{\cal{C}}|=3$ has not yet been reported in realistic materials, even though it has been theoretically proposed for more than a decade. In this work, based on first-principles calculations and theoretical analysis, we predict the existing material, $\rm\alpha$-LiIO$_3$ as the first realistic example with this unconventional Weyl point. Particularly, in the phonon spectra of $\rm\alpha$-LiIO$_3$, two Weyl points with ${\cal{C}}=-3$, connected by time-reversal symmetry, appear at the neck crossing-point of a hourglass-type band, leading to two hourglass charge-3 Weyl phonons. The symmetry protection and the associated novel triple- and sextuple-helicoid surface arc states of the hourglass charge-3 Weyl phonons are revealed. Our results uncover a hidden topological character of $\rm\alpha$-LiIO$_3$ and also show that the phonon spectra is a great platform for exploring unconventional topological states.

Two-dimensional ferromagnetic (FM) half-metals are promising candidates for advanced spintronic devices with small-size and high-capacity. Motivated by recent report on controlling synthesis of FM Cr$_3$Te$_4$ nanosheet, herein, to explore the potential application in spintronics, we designed spintronic devices based on Cr$_3$X$_4$ (X=Se, Te) monolayers and investigated their spin transport properties. We found that Cr$_3$Te$_4$ monolayer based device shows spin filtering and dual spin diode effect when applying bias voltage, while Cr$_3$S$_4$ monolayer is an excellent platform to realize a spin valve. The different transport properties are primarily ascribed to the semiconducting spin channel, which is close to and away from the Fermi level in Cr$_3$Te$_4$ and Cr$_3$Se$_4$ monolayers, respectively. Interestingly, the current in monolayer Cr$_3$Se$_4$ based device also displays a negative differential resistance effect (NDRE) and a high magnetoresistance ratio (up to 2*10$^3$). Moreover, we found thermally induced spin filtering effect and NDRE in Cr$_3$Se$_4$ junction when applying temperature gradient instead of bias voltage. These theoretical findings highlight the potential of Cr$_3$X$_4$ (X=Se, Te) monolayers in spintronic applications and put forward realistic materials to realize nanosale spintronic device.

Topological semimetal states having the minimal number, i.e., only a single pair, of Weyl points are desirable for the study of effects associated with chiral topological charges. So far, the search for such states is focused on magnetic spinful systems. Here, we find that nonmagnetic spinless systems can host a class of single-pair-Weyl-point (SP-WP) states, where the two Weyl points are located at two high-symmetry time-reversal-invariant momenta. We identify 32 candidate space groups that host such states, and we show that the chiral charge of each Weyl point in the SP-WP state must be an even integer. Besides achieving the minimal number, Weyl points in SP-WP states are far separated in momentum space, making the physics of each individual point better exposed. The large separation combined with the even topological charge lead to extended surface Fermi loops with a non-contractible winding topology on the surface Brillouin zone torus, distinct from conventional Weyl semimetals. We confirm our proposal in the phonon spectra of two concrete materials TlBO$_2$ and KNiIO$_6$. Our finding applies to a wide range of systems, including electronic, phononic, and various artificial systems. It offers a new direction for the search of ideal platforms to study chiral particles.

This paper studies the consensus problem for multiagent systems with transmission constraints. A novel model of multiagent systems is proposed where the information transmissions between agents are disturbed by irregular distortions or interferences (named transmission constraint functions), and this model is universal which can be applied in many cases, such as interval consensus and discarded consensus. In the transmission-constrained consensus problem, we obtain the necessary and sufficient condition that agents can converge to state consensus. Furthermore, a more general case is studied in which the system reaches an equilibrium. Based on some techniques of algebraic topology and stability theory, the existence, uniqueness and stability of the system equilibrium point can be proven, which means the system can reach an asymptotically stable equilibrium. Moreover, the state values of the equilibrium are only decided by the network structure and transmission constraint functions, but not the agents' initial states. Finally, numerical simulations are presented to illustrate the proposed theorems and corollaries.

Based on the dimension of degeneracy, topological electronic systems can roughly be divided into three parts: nodal point, line and surface materials corresponding to zero-, one- and two-dimensional degeneracy, respectively. In parallel to electronic systems, the concept of topology was extended to phonons, promoting the birth of topological phonons. Till date, few nodal point, line and surface phonons candidates have been predicted in solid-state materials. In this study, based on symmetry analysis and first-principles calculation, for the first time, we prove that zero-, one- and two-dimensional degeneracy co-exist in the phonon dispersion of one single realistic solid-state material SnO$_2$ with \textit{P}4$_2$/\textit{mnm} structure. In contrast to the previously reported electronic systems, the topological phonons observed in SnO$_2$ are not restricted by the Pauli exclusion principle, and they experience negligible spin-orbit coupling effect. Hence, SnO$_2$ with multiple dimensions of degeneracy phonons is a good platform for studying the entanglement among nodal point, line and surface phonons. Moreover, obvious phonon surface states are visible, which is beneficial for experimental detection.

Experimentally synthesized perovskite-type YRh$_{3}$B with a $Pm\bar{3}m$ type structure was proposed as a novel topological material (TM) via first-principles calculations and the low-energy $k\cdot p$ effective Hamiltonian, which has a quadratic contact triple point (QCTP) at point $\Gamma$ and six pairs of open nodal lines (NLs) of the hybrid type. Clear surface states observed in the surface spectrum confirmed the topological states. When spin-orbit coupling was considered, the QCTP at $\Gamma$ transferred to the quadratic-type Dirac nodal point (NP). Under 1$\%$ tetragonal strained lattice constants, YRh$_{3}$B hosted richer topological states, including a quadratic-type two-fold degenerate NP, six pairs of open NLs of the hybrid type, and two closed NLs of type I and hybrid type. Moreover, it was proved that the NLs of YRh$_{3}$B at its strained lattice constants contain all types of band-crossing points (BCPs) (i.e., type I, type II, and critical type). Such rich types of NP and NL states in one compound make it potentially applicable for multifunctional electronic devices as well as an appropriate platform to study entanglement among topological states.

In parallel to electronic systems, the concept of topology has been extended to phonons, which has led to the birth of topological phonons. Very recently, nodal point phonons, nodal line phonons, and nodal surface phonons have been proposed, and a handful of candidate materials have been predicted in solid-state materials. In this work, based on symmetry analysis and first-principles calculations, we propose that hourglass Weyl nodal line (HWNL) phonons and Dirac nodal line (DNL) phonons coexist in the phonon dispersion of a single material, KCuS, with a $Pnma$-type structure. The HWNLs and DNLs are relatively flat in frequency and well separated from other phonon bands. The corresponding topological phonon surface states appear only in the [100] and [001] surfaces, unlike those of typical phononic nodal-line materials. The reason for this phenomenon is explained based on Zak phase calculations. Our work, for the first time, proves that phononic nodal lines with different types of degeneracies can be achieved in one single material. Thus, KCuS can be viewed as a good platform to investigate the entanglement between HWNL phonons and DNL phonons.

Condensed matter systems contain both fermionic and bosonic quasiparticles. Owing to the constraint imposed by the Fermi level, ideal material candidate for the emergent particles with higher-dimensional degeneracy manifold (i.e., nodal lines and nodal surfaces) has not been found in electronic systems. This paper demonstrates that according to the first-principle calculations and symmetry analysis, realistic ternary nitride Li$_6$WN$_4$ features ideal (nearly flat) nodal-surface and nodal-line structures in its phonon spectra. These nodal degeneracies are shaped like lanterns, and their existence is guaranteed by nonsymmorphic symmetry. The corresponding topological phonon surface state covers exactly half the surface Brillouin zone (BZ) and can thereby be distinguished from those of conventional nodal-line and nodal-surface semimetals. The results of our study demonstrate the existence of ideal lantern-like phonons in realistic materials, which enriches the classification of topological quantum phases and provides a good basis for investigating the interaction between nodal-line and nodal-surface phonons in a single material.