Solar activity drives Earth’s space weather. Each solar cycle has a different intensity but we found cycle invariant properties constraining the chance of space storms which affect systems at Earth.

The ability to precisely visualize the atomic geometry of the interactions between a drug and its protein target in structural models is critical in predicting the correct modifications in previously identified inhibitors to create more effective next generation drugs. We have combined VR visualization with fast algorithms for simulating intramolecular motions of protein flexibility, in an effort to further improve structure-led drug design by exposing molecular interactions that might be hidden in the less informative static models.

A new proposal could be the first to test if gravity is quantum.

We construct a class of two-dimensional (2D) phosphorus allotropes by assembling a previously proposed ultrathin metastable phosphorus nanotube into planar structures in different stacking orientations. Three of them are dynamically stable semiconductors with strain-tunable band gaps and intrinsic piezoelectricity. This may have potential applications in nanosized sensors, piezotronics, and energy harvesting in portable electronic nanodevices.

The New Journal of Physics has selected George Knee's paper "Towards optimal experimental tests on the reality of the quantum state" (DOI:10.1088/1367-2630/aa54ab) as one of their Highlights of 2017, recognising high-quality publications which have been well-received by the community.

A team led by Marin Alexe has published new research in the journal Science that could literally squeeze more power out of solar cells by physically deforming each of the crystals in the semiconductors used by photovoltaic cells. The paper entitled the “Flexo-Photovoltaic Effect” was written by Professor Marin Alexe, Ming-Min Yang, and Dong Jik Kim.