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EPJ E Highlight - Measuring how tumours respond to compressive stress

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Published on 19 September 2025

Experiment improves our understanding of how compressive stress is linked to changes in how cancer cells grow and move

While a tumour’s development is strongly tied to genetic factors, these are also intertwined with physical and chemical changes in its cells. Many of these changes are linked to compressive stress, which builds up inside a growing tumour as it pushes against surrounding tissues. However, researchers still have much to learn about how these interconnected processes respond to varying levels of stress.

Through a new experiment detailed in EPJ E Morgan Delarue and colleagues at the University of Toulouse have gained deeper insights into the impact of compressive stress on the division and movement of tumour cells. Their results could help improve our understanding of tumour development – potentially opening new routes to effective cancer treatments.

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EPJ Plus Highlight - A roadmap for radiobiology and cancer research at the Extreme Light Infrastructure

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Published on 09 September 2025

Roadmap suggests how promising advances could be made through tightly focused and coordinated experiments at the Extreme Light Infrastructure’s facilities, combined with ongoing improvements to its instruments and infrastructure

The Extreme Light Infrastructure (ELI) is an international research organisation hosting the world’s largest collection of high-power lasers. With state-of-the-art facilities in the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Romania, it specialises in producing radiation by accelerating tightly packed bunches of subatomic particles close to the speed of light, using ultrahigh-intensity laser pulses. Among ELI’s central goals is to provide leading researchers with open access to ultra-short pulses of radiation, which are playing an increasingly important role in radiobiology and cancer therapy.

In a new paper in EPJ Plus, a collaboration led by Daniele Margarone at the ELI Beamlines Facility present a detailed roadmap for future research at ELI. Their efforts could be crucial in validating the potential of its cutting-edge radiation sources and could pave the way for transformational advances in radiobiology and cancer therapy.

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EPJ H Highlight - An interview with Yakir Aharonov: Reflections on the origins and impacts of the Aharonov–Bohm effect

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Published on 02 September 2025

Yakir Aharonov recollects how the theory first came about, the initial controversies and discussions surrounding the idea, and how it ultimately came to shape the modern interpretation of quantum mechanics

Yakir Aharonov is an Israeli physicist born in 1932, with a career in quantum theory now spanning eight decades. He continues to work as a Professor of Theoretical Physics at Chapman University in California, and in 2024 was elected to the Royal Society of London. Among his most seminal contributions was the theoretical discovery of a quantum phenomenon now known as the Aharonov–Bohm effect – made in 1959 during his PhD studies with American theorist David Bohm at the University of Bristol.

In a new paper published in EPJ H: Historical Perspectives on Contemporary Physics, Guy Hetzroni at the Open University of Israel presents an oral interview with Aharonov. In the discussion, he reflects on the origins of the Aharonov–Bohm effect, and its impact on quantum theory and experiments in the decades since its discovery.

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EPJ Plus Focus Point Issue: Advances in Analytical Techniques for Archaeological Potteries

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Published on 02 September 2025

Guest Editors: Simona Raneri, Remy Chapoulie, Florence Liard and Mohammadamin Emami

The Focus Point "Advances in Analytical Techniques for Archaeological Potteries" collects a selection of peer-reviewed papers originally presented at the 16th European Conference on Ancient Ceramics (EMAC, Pisa, June 2023), an occasion to dicuss the latest advances in the scientific analysis of archaeological potteries.

This biennial event fosters dialogue between scholars in the humanities and in the natural sciences. It explores a wide range of topics in a global perspective, with studies on ancient ceramics from China to South America that approach questions of production, use, and post-depositional alteration. This thematic collection aims to present original research that highlights recent advances in analytical techniques for the study of archaeological ceramics, with particular emphasis on methodological innovations, novel approaches, and scientific advances in the development of analytical techniques and protocols.

All articles are available here and are freely accessible until 31 October 2025. For further information, read the Editorial.

EPJD Topical Issue - Precision Physics of Simple Atomic Systems – 2024

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Published on 02 September 2025

Topical Issue (TI), “Precision Physics of Simple Atomic Systems”, edited by Paolo Crivelli, Daniel Kienzler, Fabian Schmid, Savely Karshenboim and Vladimir Shabaev.

We are happy to present through this collection, a valuable snapshot of current trends in the precision physics of simple atomic systems and will serve as a reference for researchers exploring fundamental interactions, antimatter, and quantum structure at the highest level of precision.

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EPJ Plus Focus Point Issue: Machine Learning for Materials Physics: From Pitfalls to Best Practices

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Published on 02 September 2025

Guest Editors: Domenico Di Sante and Anirvan M. Sengupta

The fusion of machine learning (ML) and materials science is opening unprecedented opportunities in research and innovation. As traditional methods struggle to face the complexity of modern materials and their vast datasets, ML is intervening to accelerate discovery, optimize properties, and shed light on intricate phenomena.

In the Focus Point "Machine Learning for Materials Physics: From Pitfalls to Best Practices" six studies showcase how ML is permeating this field. From modeling quantum many-body systems to predicting new superconducting materials, these papers highlight how ML algorithms are driving efficiency, enhancing precision, and offering new possibilities. This Focus Point also addresses key challenges, such as interpretability and scalability, highlighting the need for interdisciplinary collaboration between ML experts and materials scientists.

Dive into this special issue to explore the cutting-edge innovations reshaping materials science—and see how ML is revolutionizing our understanding of the physical world.

All articles are available here and are freely accessible until 31 October 2025. For further information, read the Editorial.

EPJ Plus Focus Point Issue: Higher Derivatives in Quantum Gravity: Theory, Tests, Phenomenology

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Published on 29 August 2025

Guest Editors: Luca Buoninfante, Andrea Giusti, Aaron Held, Benjamin Knorr & Alessia Platania

Quantizing General Relativity using standard perturbative quantum field theory results in a perturbatively non-renormalizable theory. This has led to a variety of alternative approaches to quantum gravity, each based on different assumptions, ideas, and quantization techniques. A common feature in many of these approaches is the appearance of higher-derivative operators, alongside the Einstein-Hilbert action, which play a crucial role in classifying quantum-gravitational effects in an effective field theory fashion. This focus point issue brings together different perspectives on the role of higher derivatives in quantum gravity. It explores their theoretical role and implications in different approaches as well as their impact on phenomenology. The issue collects perspectives on how higher-derivative terms appear in quantum gravity theories and what insights they may offer into the fundamental nature of spacetime.

All articles are available here and are freely accessible until 31 October 2025. For further information, read the Editorial.

EPJ B Highlight - Unlocking next-gen optoelectronic with InSb/WSSe heterostructures

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Published on 22 August 2025

Alternating layers of the 2D semiconductors could yield materials with advanced optical absorption properties—especially in the visible range

Due to their unique geometries and quantum properties, atom-thick 2D semiconductors have transformed the landscape of materials science, placing them at the forefront of fields including electronics, photonics, and energy conversion. Recently, these capabilities have been extended by stacking different 2D semiconductors into van der Waals heterostructures, which exhibit light-detecting and controlling abilities not seen in bulk materials.

In new research published in EPJ B, Weibin Zhang and colleagues at Yunnan Normal University demonstrate that heterostructures made from alternating layers of InSb and WSSe are highly suited for light absorption. If confirmed experimentally, these properties could make the material a valuable platform for harvesting light across a broad range of wavelengths—potentially paving the way for next-generation optoelectronic devices.

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EPJ D Highlight - Improving simulations of the PIII process

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Published on 22 August 2025

New simulation approach can better account for ion dynamics in the thin outer layer of plasma – offering a better understanding of the Plasma Immersion Ion Implantation process

Plasma Immersion Ion Implantation (PIII) is a surface treatment technique where a material is immersed in plasma, then subjected to high-voltage pulses. This accelerates ions from the plasma into the material surface, altering its properties and composition in a highly controlled way. PIII is now widely used to enhance the mechanical, physical, and electrical properties of materials ranging from semiconductors to biocompatible substances. So far, however, researchers have rarely considered how its performance can be affected by the evolving dynamics of ions in the plasma ‘sheath’: the thin layer near the plasma boundary, where electrons escape more readily than ions.

Through new research published in EPJ D, Mohammadreza Sattari and Jalal Ghasemi at the University of Zanjan, Iran, present an improved approach to simulating ion dynamics within the sheath.

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EPJ Plus Highlight - Readying photoacoustic spectroscopy for studies of advanced nanostructures

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Published on 22 August 2025

Innovations to the existing photoacoustic spectroscopy setup could make the technique far better suited to studying advanced, specially engineered nanostructures

When a material sample absorbs light, its resulting thermal expansion can generate an acoustic wave in the surrounding air. Named the photoacoustic effect, this phenomenon is now widely exploited in experimental physics to measure the wavelengths absorbed by materials via the sound waves they emit. This technique is called photoacoustic spectroscopy (PAS), and has now been applied across fields from gas sensing and biomedical imaging to observations of ultrafast reactions. So far, however, PAS has proven less reliable when studying photoacoustic responses in specially engineered nanostructures.

Through new research published in EPJ Plus, Emilija Petronijevic and colleagues at Sapienza University of Rome introduce several improvements to the PAS setup, making it better suited to measuring intricate nanoscale structures. Their innovations could lead to powerful new methods for measuring features like single and aggregated nanoparticles, ultra-thin films and metasurfaces, and nanowire assemblies – currently at the leading edge of experimental physics.

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