ALT EDITORS' SUGGESTION Polar and quadratic magneto-optical Kerr effects in nonmagnetic/ferromagnet bilayers for spin-orbit torque measurements 5 June, 2026 Spin orbit torque is one of the key technologies in developing next-generation spintronic devices. Various approaches have been developed to characterize the efficiency of spin orbit torque. Recent studies suggest that the optical approach provides a better means to study the efficiency compared to the conventional electrical approach. Here, the authors clarify the reason behind this. It is the small quadratic component of the magneto-optical Kerr effect compared to its polar counterpart that defines the high accuracy. Yukihiro Marui, Masashi Kawaguchi, Kohji Nakamura, and Masamitsu Hayashi Phys. Rev. B 113, 214419 (2026)

ALT EDITORS' SUGGESTION Engineering magnetic anisotropy and ferromagnetism in the topological kagome metal Gd⁢V6⁢S⁢n6 via Nd substitution 4 June, 2026 Rare-earth engineering offers a route to tune the coupling between magnetism and transport in kagome metals. Here, the authors show that replacing Gd with Nd in GdV6Sn6 preserves the V-based kagome framework while switching the magnetic anisotropy from easy plane to easy axis. Magnetotransport crosses over from spin-scattering-driven negative magnetoresistance at low fields to positive orbital magnetoresistance at high fields, accompanied by a twofold-to-fourfold angular evolution that disentangles magnetic and electronic anisotropy. Santosh Karki Chhetri et al. Phys. Rev. B 113, 224417 (2026)

ALT EDITORS' SUGGESTION Influence of controlled disorder on the dipolar spin-ice state of Ho-based pyrochlores 3 June, 2026 The dipolar spin ice ground state is an exotic magnetic phase with degenerate spin configurations analogous to proton ordering in water ice. Here, the authors show that the dipolar spin ice state persists in holmium-based pyrochlores with different types of nonmagnetic site mixing, even when significant disorder-induced modifications to the crystal structure are observed at both the global and local level. Adam A. Aczel et al. Phys. Rev. B 113, 214415 (2026)

ALT EDITORS' SUGGESTION Superconductivity from the Slater mode: Application to KTaO3 heterostructures 3 June, 2026 Coupling of electrons to transverse-polarized phonons is usually weak in the long wavelength limit but becomes stronger when coupling orbitals with different symmetries. There have been claims in the literature that this is the driving force for superconductivity in nearly ferroelectric materials like SrTiO3. Here, the author applies these ideas to KTaO3, finding that coupling to these soft phonons can cause significant anisotropy of the superconducting order parameter due to the forward scattering nature of this interaction. M. R. Norman Phys. Rev. B 113, 224506 (2026)

ALT EDITORS' SUGGESTION Regularized universal topological markers for Dirac systems 3 June, 2026 Topological markers provide a powerful real-space characterization of topological systems, but they typically suffer from irregular behavior at boundaries. Here, using position operators compatible with periodic boundary conditions, the authors develop a regularized universal topological marker that eliminates the spurious boundary irregularities and connects rigorously to the global topological invariants in different symmetry classes. This new local marker further serves to effectively detect disorder-driven topological phase transitions. Yulin Qin, Chang-An Li, and Jian Li Phys. Rev. B 113, 214201 (2026)

ALT EDITORS' SUGGESTION Exact expression for the Berry connection in the projection gauge 1 June, 2026 The Berry connection underlies all of quantum geometry, but suffers from a gauge freedom that frequently impedes practical calculations. A common solution, often used in Wannier construction, fixes the gauge via projection onto localized trial functions, with the Berry connection computed by finite differences in reciprocal space. Here, the authors derive an exact, closed-form expression for the Berry connection in the projection gauge, thereby avoiding finite differences and allowing numerically stable calculations of quantities such as the Chern-Simons axion angle. Trey Cole and David Vanderbilt Phys. Rev. B 113, 245106 (2026)

ALT EDITORS' SUGGESTION Evolution of charge density wave soft phonon modes in Pd𝑥⁢ErTe3 1 June, 2026 Here, the authors use diffuse and inelastic x-ray scattering to investigate the dynamics of orthogonal charge density waves (CDWs) in Pd𝑥ErTe3. Strong diffuse scattering and phonon softening persist at wave vector 𝐪𝑎(|| 𝑎*) equal in magnitude to the ordering vector 𝐪𝑐(|| 𝑐*) of the primary CDW, although small intercalation already suppresses the secondary CDW order near 𝐪𝑎. The authors demonstrate that diffuse scattering and phonon softening at 𝐪𝑎 is coupled to fluctuations of the onset of the primary CDW for all intercalation levels. Avishek Maity et al. Phys. Rev. B 113, 224101 (2026)

ALT EDITORS' SUGGESTION Effective-Hamiltonian reconstruction through Bloch-wave interferometry in bulk GaAs driven by strong terahertz fields 1 June, 2026 The authors demonstrate here the complete experimental reconstruction of a multiband electron-hole Hamiltonian in a semiconductor based on high-order sideband generation. They find that quantum fluctuations contribute significantly to the decay of sidebands with order. They uncover bandgap renormalization and suppression of optical-phonon emission thresholds under intense THz driving, pointing to a modification of polaronic effects in nonequilibrium solids. This work opens a pathway toward Hamiltonian reconstruction in systems where surface-sensitive probes fail or strong fields modify the electronic structure. Qile Wu et al. Phys. Rev. B 113, 235201 (2026)

ALT EDITORS' SUGGESTION Linear static and dynamic glassy magnetoelectric response without long-range magnetic order in cluster-glass CuMn2⁢O4 1 June, 2026 Despite the conventional requirement of simultaneous spatial inversion and time-reversal symmetry breaking for magnetoelectric (ME) coupling, the authors demonstrate here a linear ME effect without long-range magnetic order, evidenced by the lack of magnetic Bragg peaks in neutron diffraction. Remarkably, a novel glassy ME response is also uncovered, closely linked to the cluster-glass state. The coexistence of static linear and glassy ME responses in the cluster-glass regime raises fundamental questions about the nature of symmetry-driven ME coupling in disordered magnetic systems. A. Hati et al. Phys. Rev. B 113, 214402 (2026)

ALT EDITORS' SUGGESTION Self-consistent Coulomb interactions from constrained dynamical mean-field theory 29 May, 2026 Here, the authors develop constrained dynamical mean-field theory, a self-consistent first-principles approach for determining screened Coulomb interactions in correlated materials. The method incorporates local vertex corrections within the same many-body framework used to compute electronic spectra, yielding interaction strengths that enable excellent agreement with photoemission experiments across Mott insulators, correlated metals, altermagnets, and unconventional superconductors. Antik Sihi, Subhasish Mandal, and Kristjan Haule Phys. Rev. B 113, L201116 (2026)

ALT EDITORS' SUGGESTION From single-particle to many-body chaos in the Yukawa-Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev model: Theory and a cavity-QED proposal 29 May, 2026 Understanding transitions from integrable to chaotic regimes is a central challenge in quantum many-body systems. Here, combining perturbative and numerical analyses, the authors study how the Yukawa-Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev model interpolates between integrable and chaotic regimes. By tuning the interaction strength, they reveal a finite-size crossover in spectral statistics and out-of-time-ordered correlators, marked by prethermal plateaus and incomplete scrambling. The proposed cavity-QED realization provides an experimentally accessible platform to probe the onset of chaos and thermalization in strongly interacting quantum matter. David Pascual Solis et al. Phys. Rev. B 113, 184121 (2026)

ALT EDITORS' SUGGESTION Complex temperature-dependent thermal conductivity in the sawtooth chain magnet Fe2⁢SiSe4 29 May, 2026 Here, the authors show that spin–phonon scattering can strongly tune phonon heat transport in the frustrated sawtooth-chain magnet Fe2SiSe4. Resonant scattering of phonons by magnetic excitations produces a broad thermal conductivity maximum in the single-𝑞 state, while this scattering is suppressed in the double-𝑞 state, yielding a fivefold-enhanced low-temperature peak. The results highlight frustrated magnets as prominent platforms for controlling thermal conductivity. Kunya Yang et al. Phys. Rev. B 113, 174442 (2026)

ALT EDITORS' SUGGESTION First-principles framework for exchange interactions and red-shifted luminescence of Cr3 ion pairs in strong crystal field environments 29 May, 2026 Here, the authors establish a first-principles framework, benchmarked against ruby (Al2O3:Cr3 ) and applied to multiple oxides, for quantitatively determining the ground-state exchange coupling 𝐽 and emission redshift of Cr3 ion pairs in strong crystal-field environments. Redshifts increase along corner, edge, and face-sharing from less than 0.1 to ∼0.2 eV. The study shows that excited-state electron-phonon coupling and magnetic exchange work synergistically, and these geometry-specific redshift ranges can distinguish genuine pair-related near-infrared centers from other defects. Qinshi Hu et al. Phys. Rev. B 113, 195156 (2026)

ALT EDITORS' SUGGESTION 7/3 fractional quantum Hall state in GaAs double quantum wells 28 May, 2026 The authors show here how electrostatic coupling and spin physics reshape the 7/3 fractional quantum Hall state in an uncoupled GaAs bilayer system. Gate tuning balances an incompressible integer state (𝜈=1) and a fragile fractional composite-fermion state (𝜈=4/3), producing a double-minimum structure in longitudinal resistance within a single 7/3 Hall plateau. Tilt-angle measurements reveal that the evolution and merger of two minima are controlled by interlayer charge redistribution, composite-fermion spin polarization, and electron interactions. Mandun Fu, Ian Farrer, David A. Ritchie, and Sanjeev Kumar Phys. Rev. B 113, 205433 (2026)

ALT EDITORS' SUGGESTION Disorder-induced liquid-solid phase coexistence in two-dimensional electron systems 28 May, 2026 Here, the authors demonstrate that disorder can qualitatively alter the liquid-solid phase transition for two-dimensional electron systems, leading to an enhanced stability of the Wigner crystal and a broad regime of solid–liquid phase coexistence. The results offer an explanation for recent imaging experiments using scanning tunneling microscopy. Sandeep Joy and Brian Skinner Phys. Rev. B 113, L201117 (2026)