编译|未玖

Nature,11 September 2025, Volume 645, Issue 8080

《自然》2025年9月11日，第645卷，8080期

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天文学Astronomy

The emergence of globular clusters and globular-cluster-like dwarfs

球状星团和球状星团样矮星的出现

▲ 作者：Ethan D. Taylor, Justin I. Read, Matthew D. A. Orkney, Stacy Y. Kim, Andrew Pontzen, Oscar Agertz, et al.

▲链接：

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09494-x

▲摘要：

球状星团（GCs）是宇宙中最古老、密度最大的恒星系统之一，但其形成机制仍是一个谜。

研究组提出了一套宇宙学模拟，其中无暗物质的GCs和富含暗物质的矮星系在标准宇宙学框架中自然形成。他们发现，这些天体占据尺寸-光度平面上的不同位置，其年龄、年龄分布、金属丰度和金属丰度分布与近宇宙中的球状星团和矮星相吻合。

在该模拟球状星团中，约半数通过在宿主矮星系中心附近的规则恒星形成，其余则由合并触发在较远区域形成，后者在潮汐上更隔离，更有可能存续至今。最终，该模型预测了一类新天体的存在，研究组称之为“球状星团样矮星”（GCDs）。

GCD形成于高红移时期低质量暗物质晕中的单次自淬灭恒星形成事件，其观测特性介于球状星团和矮星系之间。研究组在银河系中发现了几个矮星系，比如Reticulum?II，它们可能属于这类新天体。若得以证实，GCD将会对暗物质模型和寻找无金属恒星的新位置进行前所未有的约束。

▲ Abstract：

Globular clusters (GCs) are among the oldest and densest stellar systems in the Universe, yet how they form remains a mystery. Here we present a suite of cosmological simulations in which both dark-matter-free GCs and dark-matter-rich dwarf galaxies naturally emerge in the Standard Cosmology. We show that these objects inhabit distinct locations in the size–luminosity plane and that they have similar ages, age spread, metallicity and metallicity spread to globulars and dwarfs in the nearby Universe. About half of our simulated globulars form by means of regular star formation near the centres of their host dwarf, with the rest forming further out, triggered by mergers. The latter are more tidally isolated and more likely to survive to the present day. Finally, our simulations predict the existence of a new class of object that we call ‘globular-cluster-like dwarfs’ (GCDs). These form from a single, self-quenching, star-formation event in low-mass dark-matter halos at high redshift and have observational properties intermediate between globulars and dwarfs. We identify several dwarfs in our Galaxy, such as Reticulum?II, that could be in this new class. If so, they promise unprecedented constraints on dark-matter models and new sites to search for metal-free stars.

物理学Physics

Probing non-equilibrium topological order on a quantum processor

在量子处理器上探测非平衡拓扑序

▲ 作者：M. Will, T. A. Cochran, E. Rosenberg, B. Jobst, N. M. Eassa, P. Roushan, et al.

▲链接：

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09456-3

▲摘要：

多体系统中的非平衡相构成了量子物质的新范式，其表现出可能被平衡热力学所禁止的动力学性质。在这些非平衡相中，周期性驱动（Floquet）系统因其高度纠缠而通常难以进行经典模拟。

研究组在超导量子比特阵列上实现了此前理论预言的Floquet拓扑有序态。他们对其手性边缘模的特征动力学进行了成像，并表征了其涌现的任意子激发态。

通过设计一种干涉测量算法，研究组实现了引入和测量体拓扑不变量，以探测系统规模高达58个量子位的任意子动力学嬗变。该工作表明，量子处理器可为迄今为止尚未探索的高度纠缠非平衡物质相提供关键见解。

▲ Abstract：

Out-of-equilibrium phases in many-body systems constitute a new paradigm in quantum matter—they exhibit dynamical properties that may otherwise be forbidden by equilibrium thermodynamics. Among these non-equilibrium phases are periodically driven (Floquet) systems, which are generically difficult to simulate classically because of their high entanglement. Here we realize a Floquet topologically ordered state theoretically proposed in ref.?6, on an array of superconducting qubits. We image the characteristic dynamics of its chiral edge modes and characterize its emergent anyonic excitations. Devising an interferometric algorithm allows us to introduce and measure a bulk topological invariant to probe the dynamical transmutation of anyons for system sizes up to 58 qubits. Our work demonstrates that quantum processors can provide key insights into the thus-far largely unexplored landscape of highly entangled non-equilibrium phases of matter.

人工智能Artificial Intelligence

Analog optical computer for AI inference and combinatorial optimization

用于AI推理和组合优化的模拟光学计算机

▲ 作者：Kirill P. Kalinin, Jannes Gladrow, Jiaqi Chu, James H. Clegg, Daniel Cletheroe, Douglas J. Kelly, et al.

▲链接：

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09430-z

▲摘要：

人工智能（AI）和组合优化推动了科学和工业领域的应用，但其日益增长的能源需求挑战了数字计算的可持续性。大多数非常规计算系统针对人工智能或优化工作负载，并且依赖于能源密集型的频繁数字转换，从而限制了能效。这些系统还面临着应用硬件不匹配的问题，无论是处理内存瓶颈的神经模型，映射现实世界的优化问题，还是应对固有的模拟噪声。

研究组介绍了一种融合了模拟电子学和三维光学的模拟光学计算机（AOC），可在单个平台上加速AI推理和组合优化。这种双域能力通过快速定点搜索实现，避免了数字转换并增强了噪声鲁棒性。通过这种定点抽象，AOC实现了具有递归推理潜力的新兴计算密集型神经模型，并实现了一种用于表达优化的高级梯度下降算法。

研究组通过图像分类、非线性回归、医学图像重建和金融交易结算这四个案例研究，展示了协同设计硬件和抽象的优势，以响应数字加速器和深度学习模型的共同进化。AOC采用可扩展的消费级技术构建，为更快和更可持续的计算开辟了一条充满前景的新路径。其对迭代、计算密集型模型的原生支持为促进AI和优化的未来创新提供了一个可扩展的模拟平台。

▲ Abstract：

Artificial intelligence (AI) and combinatorial optimization drive applications across science and industry, but their increasing energy demands challenge the sustainability of digital computing. Most unconventional computing systems target either AI or optimization workloads and rely on frequent, energy-intensive digital conversions, limiting efficiency. These systems also face application-hardware mismatches, whether handling memory-bottlenecked neural models, mapping real-world optimization problems or contending with inherent analog noise. Here we introduce an analog optical computer (AOC) that combines analog electronics and three-dimensional optics to accelerate AI inference and combinatorial optimization in a single platform. This dual-domain capability is enabled by a rapid fixed-point search, which avoids digital conversions and enhances noise robustness. With this fixed-point abstraction, the AOC implements emerging compute-bound neural models with recursive reasoning potential and realizes an advanced gradient-descent approach for expressive optimization. We demonstrate the benefits of co-designing the hardware and abstraction, echoing the co-evolution of digital accelerators and deep learning models, through four case studies: image classification, nonlinear regression, medical image reconstruction and financial transaction settlement. Built with scalable, consumer-grade technologies, the AOC paves a promising path for faster and sustainable computing. Its native support for iterative, compute-intensive models offers a scalable analog platform for fostering future innovation in AI and optimization.

材料科学Materials Science

Electrically driven lasing from a dual-cavity perovskite device

双腔钙钛矿装置的电驱动激光器

▲ 作者：Chen Zou, Zhixiang Ren, Kangshuo Hui, Zixiang Wang, Yangning Fan, Yichen Yang, et al.

▲链接：

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09457-2

▲摘要：

溶液处理半导体激光器有望实现轻量化、可穿戴和可扩展的光电应用。在溶液处理激光器的增益介质中，金属卤化物钙钛矿因其在光泵浦下实现波长可调、低阈值激光发射而脱颖而出。尽管在这一领域取得了进展，但钙钛矿半导体的电驱动激光仍是一个关键挑战。

研究组展示了一个电驱动的钙钛矿激光器，通过垂直集成低阈值单晶钙钛矿微腔亚单元和高功率微腔钙钛矿LED（PeLED）亚单元来构建。在脉冲电激发下，该双腔钙钛矿器件的最小激光阈值为92 A cm^-2（在约22℃的空气环境中平均阈值为129 A cm^-2），比最先进的电驱动有机激光器低一个数量级。

该演示的关键在于集成的双腔器件架构，实现了微腔PeLED亚单元向单晶钙钛矿微腔亚单元传递定向发射光（耦合效率约为82.7%）以建立激光发射。工作半衰期（T50）达到1.8小时（10 Hz时为6.4×104电压脉冲），其稳定性优于电泵浦有机激光器。该双腔钙钛矿激光器可在36.2 MHz的带宽下快速调制，表明其在数据传输和计算应用方面的潜力。

▲ Abstract：

Solution-processed semiconductor lasers promise lightweight, wearable and scalable optoelectronic applications. Among the gain media for solution-processed lasers, metal halide perovskites stand out as an exceptional class because of their ability to achieve wavelength-adjustable, low-threshold lasing under optical pumping. Despite the progress in this field, electrically driven lasing from perovskite semiconductors remains a critical challenge. Here we demonstrate an electrically driven perovskite laser, constructed by vertically integrating a low-threshold single-crystal perovskite microcavity sub-unit with a high-power microcavity perovskite LED (PeLED) sub-unit. Under pulsed electrical excitation, the dual-cavity perovskite device shows a minimum lasing threshold of 92?A?cm^?2 (average threshold: 129?A?cm^?2, at about 22?°C, in air), which is an order of magnitude lower than that of state-of-the-art electrically driven organic lasers. Key to this demonstration is the integrated dual-cavity device architecture, which allows the microcavity PeLED sub-unit to deliver directional emission into the single-crystal perovskite microcavity sub-unit (at a coupling efficiency of about 82.7%) to establish the lasing action. An operational half-life (T50) of 1.8?h (6.4?×?104 voltage pulses at 10?Hz) is achieved, outperforming the stability of electrically pumped organic lasers. The dual-cavity perovskite laser can be rapidly modulated at a bandwidth of 36.2?MHz, indicating its potential for data transmission and computational applications.

Dual-scale chemical ordering for cryogenic properties in CoNiV-based alloys

CoNiV基合金低温性能的双尺度化学有序

▲ 作者：Tiwen Lu, Binhan Sun, Yue Li, Sheng Dai, Ning Yao, Wenbo Li, et al.

▲链接：

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09458-1

▲摘要：

金属材料的力学性能在恶劣的低温条件下往往会退化，这给低温基础设施带来了挑战。

研究组介绍了一种双尺度原子有序纳米结构，其特点是在CoNiV基合金的金属固溶体基质中共存的超高数密度的亚纳米尺度短程有序畴（约2.4?×?1026?m^?3）和纳米尺度长程有序畴（约4.5?×?1025?m^?3），以提高低温下强度和延展性的协同效应。

研究组观察到有序引起的位错剪切应力增加，以及由于纳米级长程有序的位错阻断效应和相关新位错产生而导致的更快位错增殖。后一种效应也会在纳米尺度长程有序障碍物上释放应力集中，否则会促进损伤的发生和破坏。

因此，该合金的强度延伸率为76GPa %，在87K时的屈服强度约为1.2 GPa，优于没有这种有序层级结构、仅包含几十纳米短程有序或共格析出相的材料。该研究结果强调了双相共存化学有序态对复杂合金力学性能的影响，并为调控这些有序态结构以提高其在低温应用中的力学性能提供了指导。

▲ Abstract：

The mechanical properties of metallic materials often degrade under harsh cryogenic conditions, posing challenges for low-temperature infrastructures. Here we introduce a dual-scale atomic-ordering nanostructure, characterized by an exceptionally high number density of co-existing subnanoscale short-range ordering (approximately 2.4?×?1026?m^?3) and nanoscale long-range ordering (approximately 4.5?×?1025?m^?3) domains, within a metallic solid-solution matrix in a CoNiV-based alloy to improve the synergy of strength and ductility at low temperatures. We observe an ordering-induced increase in dislocation shear stress as well as a more rapid dislocation multiplication owing to the dislocation blocking effect of nanoscale long-range ordering and the associated generation of new dislocations. The latter effect also releases stress concentrations at nanoscale long-range-ordered obstacles that otherwise would promote damage initiation and failure. Consequently, the alloy shows a strength–elongation product of 76?GPa?% with a yield strength of approximately 1.2?GPa at 87?K, outperforming materials devoid of such ordering hierarchy, containing only short-range ordered or coherent precipitates of a few tens of nanometres. Our results highlight the impact of dual co-existing chemical ordering on the mechanical properties of complex alloys and offer guidelines to control these ordering states to enhance their mechanical performance for cryogenic applications.

地球科学Earth Science

Systematic attribution of heatwaves to the emissions of carbon majors

全球热浪系统性归因于碳排放大户的排放

▲ 作者：Yann Quilcaille, Lukas Gudmundsson, Dominik L. Schumacher, Thomas Gasser, Richard Heede, Corina Heri, et al.

▲链接：

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09450-9

▲摘要：

极端事件归因评估了气候变化如何影响极端气候，但通常聚焦于单一事件。此外，这些归因研究很少量化人为因素对这些事件的影响程度。

研究组表明气候变化使2000年–2023年间报告的213次历史热浪更有可能发生，也更强烈，180家碳排放巨头（化石燃料和水泥生产商）均难辞其咎。这项研究依赖于扩展一个完善的基于事件的框架。由于1850年–1900年以来的全球变暖，2000年–2009年间热浪事件中位数增加了约20倍，2010年–2019年间则增加了约200倍。总而言之，如果没有气候变化，四分之一的热浪事件几乎不可能发生。

自1850年–1900年以来，热浪强度增幅中约一半由碳排放巨头的排放来贡献。根据碳排放巨头的不同规模，其各自的贡献高到足以引发16-53次的热浪，这在工业化前气候中几乎是不可能的。因此，研究组证实气候变化增加了对热浪的影响，所有碳排放巨头，无论规模大小，均对热浪的发生起到了推动作用。该结果有助于填补证据空白，从而建立历史极端气候的问责制。

▲ Abstract：

Extreme event attribution assesses how climate change affected climate extremes, but typically focuses on single events. Furthermore, these attributions rarely quantify the extent to which anthropogenic actors have contributed to these events. Here we show that climate change made 213 historical heatwaves reported over 2000–2023 more likely and more intense, to which each of the 180 carbon majors (fossil fuel and cement producers) substantially contributed. This work relies on the expansion of a well-established event-based framework. Owing to global warming since 1850–1900, the median of the heatwaves during 2000–2009 became about 20 times more likely, and about 200 times more likely during 2010–2019. Overall, one-quarter of these events were virtually impossible without climate change. The emissions of the carbon majors contribute to half the increase in heatwave intensity since 1850–1900. Depending on the carbon major, their individual contribution is high enough to enable the occurrence of 16–53 heatwaves that would have been virtually impossible in a preindustrial climate. We, therefore, establish that the influence of climate change on heatwaves has increased, and that all carbon majors, even the smaller ones, contributed substantially to the occurrence of heatwaves. Our results contribute to filling the evidentiary gap to establish accountability of historical climate extremes.