Sponsored Collection | Humble Beginning, Bright Future: Institute of Physics (CAS) at 90

Abstract

Humble Beginnings, Bright Future Institute of Physics (CAS) at 90INTRODUCTIONS 3 P hysics is a field of extremes. It studies the microworld, including subatomic particles, and the macroworld, including magnetic fields and plasma found in space. It explores the lowest and highest limits of temperature, pressure, and speed. These seemingly disparate subfields are all housed at the Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IOP CAS), which is commemorating its 90th year.At the nexus of all these extremes is superconductivity, or the ability of an element, intermetallic alloy, or compound to conduct electricity without resistance or energy loss below a certain temperature. Magnets and very cold temperatureson the order of 39 K (-234°C, -389°F)-are used to control the flow of electricity. Remarkably, an electrical current will flow forever in a closed loop of superconducting material, which makes it the closest thing to perpetual motion-a sort of Rube Goldberg machine for electricity.These near-magical materials are employed in devices that have revolutionized theoretical physics; for example, particle accelerators probe the inner workings of atoms, while tokamaks contain hot plasma that could one day be used in thermonuclear fusion. Superconductors are also an important factor in other technological breakthroughs, including magnetic resonance imaging machines that reduce the need for exploratory surgery, digital and quantum computers that store and transmit ever-increasing amounts of data, and Maglev trains that carry people over long distances in a much shorter time than conventional trains.Inside this supplement is a sampling of the variety of cutting-edge research that is taking place at IOP. This prestigious institute is extensively pursuing superconductivity as well as the physics of condensed and soft matter, optics, subatomic particles, plasma, magnets, and computers. Join us in celebrating IOP's long history and its incredible contributions not just to science, but to humankind.Jackie Oberst, Ph.D. Sean Sanders, Ph.D. Science/AAAS Custom Publishing OfficeExtreme Science: Celebrating 90 years of cuttingedge research at IOP CAS PHOTOS: ALEX LEE N inety years ago, the Institute of Physics (IOP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) was founded as the first national institute dedicated to physics research in China. Today we are celebrating our role in the international research community by honoring the past and reimagining the future.IOP has made essential contributions to the founding of modern physics research in China. The growth trajectory of IOP is almost in sync with the development of modern China. It started with a very limited number of researchers working on a small range of activities, and expanded into a large-scale research institution with an extensive, multidisciplinary scope, covering fields including condensed matter physics, optical physics, atomic and molecular physics, plasma physics, and theoretical and computational physics. Now, IOP is designated as the National Research Center...

Construction of monolayer IrTe2 and the structural transition under low temperatures*

“…Two-dimensional (2D) materials have been widely investigated since the mechanical exfoliation of graphene in 2004. [1][2][3][4][5] Since then, many kinds of 2D materials have been studied, including graphene family (i.e., silicene, [6,7] germanene, [8] and stanene [9] ), transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), [10,11] and others. [12] Among them, Te-based 2D materials have attracted a lot of attention.…”