@article{14795,
  abstract     = {Metazoan development relies on the formation and remodeling of cell-cell contacts. Dynamic reorganization of adhesion receptors and the actomyosin cell cortex in space and time plays a central role in cell-cell contact formation and maturation. Nevertheless, how this process is mechanistically achieved when new contacts are formed remains unclear. Here, by building a biomimetic assay composed of progenitor cells adhering to supported lipid bilayers functionalized with E-cadherin ectodomains, we show that cortical F-actin flows, driven by the depletion of myosin-2 at the cell contact center, mediate the dynamic reorganization of adhesion receptors and cell cortex at the contact. E-cadherin-dependent downregulation of the small GTPase RhoA at the forming contact leads to both a depletion of myosin-2 and a decrease of F-actin at the contact center. At the contact rim, in contrast, myosin-2 becomes enriched by the retraction of bleb-like protrusions, resulting in a cortical tension gradient from the contact rim to its center. This tension gradient, in turn, triggers centrifugal F-actin flows, leading to further accumulation of F-actin at the contact rim and the progressive redistribution of E-cadherin from the contact center to the rim. Eventually, this combination of actomyosin downregulation and flows at the contact determines the characteristic molecular organization, with E-cadherin and F-actin accumulating at the contact rim, where they are needed to mechanically link the contractile cortices of the adhering cells.},
  author       = {Arslan, Feyza N and Hannezo, Edouard B and Merrin, Jack and Loose, Martin and Heisenberg, Carl-Philipp J},
  issn         = {1879-0445},
  journal      = {Current Biology},
  number       = {1},
  pages        = {171--182.e8},
  publisher    = {Elsevier},
  title        = {{Adhesion-induced cortical flows pattern E-cadherin-mediated cell contacts}},
  doi          = {10.1016/j.cub.2023.11.067},
  volume       = {34},
  year         = {2024},
}

@article{14846,
  abstract     = {Contraction and flow of the actin cell cortex have emerged as a common principle by which cells reorganize their cytoplasm and take shape. However, how these cortical flows interact with adjacent cytoplasmic components, changing their form and localization, and how this affects cytoplasmic organization and cell shape remains unclear. Here we show that in ascidian oocytes, the cooperative activities of cortical actomyosin flows and deformation of the adjacent mitochondria-rich myoplasm drive oocyte cytoplasmic reorganization and shape changes following fertilization. We show that vegetal-directed cortical actomyosin flows, established upon oocyte fertilization, lead to both the accumulation of cortical actin at the vegetal pole of the zygote and compression and local buckling of the adjacent elastic solid-like myoplasm layer due to friction forces generated at their interface. Once cortical flows have ceased, the multiple myoplasm buckles resolve into one larger buckle, which again drives the formation of the contraction pole—a protuberance of the zygote’s vegetal pole where maternal mRNAs accumulate. Thus, our findings reveal a mechanism where cortical actomyosin network flows determine cytoplasmic reorganization and cell shape by deforming adjacent cytoplasmic components through friction forces.},
  author       = {Caballero Mancebo, Silvia and Shinde, Rushikesh and Bolger-Munro, Madison and Peruzzo, Matilda and Szep, Gregory and Steccari, Irene and Labrousse Arias, David and Zheden, Vanessa and Merrin, Jack and Callan-Jones, Andrew and Voituriez, Raphaël and Heisenberg, Carl-Philipp J},
  issn         = {1745-2481},
  journal      = {Nature Physics},
  publisher    = {Springer Nature},
  title        = {{Friction forces determine cytoplasmic reorganization and shape changes of ascidian oocytes upon fertilization}},
  doi          = {10.1038/s41567-023-02302-1},
  year         = {2024},
}

@article{15018,
  abstract     = {The epitaxial growth of a strained Ge layer, which is a promising candidate for the channel material of a hole spin qubit, has been demonstrated on 300 mm Si wafers using commercially available Si0.3Ge0.7 strain relaxed buffer (SRB) layers. The assessment of the layer and the interface qualities for a buried strained Ge layer embedded in Si0.3Ge0.7 layers is reported. The XRD reciprocal space mapping confirmed that the reduction of the growth temperature enables the 2-dimensional growth of the Ge layer fully strained with respect to the Si0.3Ge0.7. Nevertheless, dislocations at the top and/or bottom interface of the Ge layer were observed by means of electron channeling contrast imaging, suggesting the importance of the careful dislocation assessment. The interface abruptness does not depend on the selection of the precursor gases, but it is strongly influenced by the growth temperature which affects the coverage of the surface H-passivation. The mobility of 2.7 × 105 cm2/Vs is promising, while the low percolation density of 3 × 1010 /cm2 measured with a Hall-bar device at 7 K illustrates the high quality of the heterostructure thanks to the high Si0.3Ge0.7 SRB quality.},
  author       = {Shimura, Yosuke and Godfrin, Clement and Hikavyy, Andriy and Li, Roy and Aguilera Servin, Juan L and Katsaros, Georgios and Favia, Paola and Han, Han and Wan, Danny and de Greve, Kristiaan and Loo, Roger},
  issn         = {1369-8001},
  journal      = {Materials Science in Semiconductor Processing},
  keywords     = {Mechanical Engineering, Mechanics of Materials, Condensed Matter Physics, General Materials Science},
  number       = {5},
  publisher    = {Elsevier},
  title        = {{Compressively strained epitaxial Ge layers for quantum computing applications}},
  doi          = {10.1016/j.mssp.2024.108231},
  volume       = {174},
  year         = {2024},
}

@article{14361,
  abstract     = {Whether one considers swarming insects, flocking birds, or bacterial colonies, collective motion arises from the coordination of individuals and entails the adjustment of their respective velocities. In particular, in close confinements, such as those encountered by dense cell populations during development or regeneration, collective migration can only arise coordinately. Yet, how individuals unify their velocities is often not understood. Focusing on a finite number of cells in circular confinements, we identify waves of polymerizing actin that function as a pacemaker governing the speed of individual cells. We show that the onset of collective motion coincides with the synchronization of the wave nucleation frequencies across the population. Employing a simpler and more readily accessible mechanical model system of active spheres, we identify the synchronization of the individuals’ internal oscillators as one of the essential requirements to reach the corresponding collective state. The mechanical ‘toy’ experiment illustrates that the global synchronous state is achieved by nearest neighbor coupling. We suggest by analogy that local coupling and the synchronization of actin waves are essential for the emergent, self-organized motion of cell collectives.},
  author       = {Riedl, Michael and Mayer, Isabelle D and Merrin, Jack and Sixt, Michael K and Hof, Björn},
  issn         = {2041-1723},
  journal      = {Nature Communications},
  publisher    = {Springer Nature},
  title        = {{Synchronization in collectively moving inanimate and living active matter}},
  doi          = {10.1038/s41467-023-41432-1},
  volume       = {14},
  year         = {2023},
}

@article{13342,
  abstract     = {Motile cells moving in multicellular organisms encounter microenvironments of locally heterogeneous mechanochemical composition. Individual compositional parameters like chemotactic signals, adhesiveness, and pore sizes are well known to be sensed by motile cells, providing individual guidance cues for cellular pathfinding. However, motile cells encounter diverse mechanochemical signals at the same time, raising the question of how cells respond to locally diverse and potentially competing signals on their migration routes. Here, we reveal that motile amoeboid cells require nuclear repositioning, termed nucleokinesis, for adaptive pathfinding in heterogeneous mechanochemical microenvironments. Using mammalian immune cells and the amoeba<jats:italic>Dictyostelium discoideum</jats:italic>, we discover that frequent, rapid and long-distance nucleokinesis is a basic component of amoeboid pathfinding, enabling cells to reorientate quickly between locally competing cues. Amoeboid nucleokinesis comprises a two-step cell polarity switch and is driven by myosin II-forces, sliding the nucleus from a ‘losing’ to the ‘winning’ leading edge to re-adjust the nuclear to the cellular path. Impaired nucleokinesis distorts fast path adaptions and causes cellular arrest in the microenvironment. Our findings establish that nucleokinesis is required for amoeboid cell navigation. Given that motile single-cell amoebae, many immune cells, and some cancer cells utilize an amoeboid migration strategy, these results suggest that amoeboid nucleokinesis underlies cellular navigation during unicellular biology, immunity, and disease.},
  author       = {Kroll, Janina and Hauschild, Robert and Kuznetcov, Arthur and Stefanowski, Kasia and Hermann, Monika D. and Merrin, Jack and Shafeek, Lubuna B and Müller-Taubenberger, Annette and Renkawitz, Jörg},
  issn         = {1460-2075},
  journal      = {EMBO Journal},
  publisher    = {Embo Press},
  title        = {{Adaptive pathfinding by nucleokinesis during amoeboid migration}},
  doi          = {10.15252/embj.2023114557},
  year         = {2023},
}

@article{14274,
  abstract     = {Immune responses rely on the rapid and coordinated migration of leukocytes. Whereas it is well established that single-cell migration is often guided by gradients of chemokines and other chemoattractants, it remains poorly understood how these gradients are generated, maintained, and modulated. By combining experimental data with theory on leukocyte chemotaxis guided by the G protein–coupled receptor (GPCR) CCR7, we demonstrate that in addition to its role as the sensory receptor that steers migration, CCR7 also acts as a generator and a modulator of chemotactic gradients. Upon exposure to the CCR7 ligand CCL19, dendritic cells (DCs) effectively internalize the receptor and ligand as part of the canonical GPCR desensitization response. We show that CCR7 internalization also acts as an effective sink for the chemoattractant, dynamically shaping the spatiotemporal distribution of the chemokine. This mechanism drives complex collective migration patterns, enabling DCs to create or sharpen chemotactic gradients. We further show that these self-generated gradients can sustain the long-range guidance of DCs, adapt collective migration patterns to the size and geometry of the environment, and provide a guidance cue for other comigrating cells. Such a dual role of CCR7 as a GPCR that both senses and consumes its ligand can thus provide a novel mode of cellular self-organization.},
  author       = {Alanko, Jonna H and Ucar, Mehmet C and Canigova, Nikola and Stopp, Julian A and Schwarz, Jan and Merrin, Jack and Hannezo, Edouard B and Sixt, Michael K},
  issn         = {2470-9468},
  journal      = {Science Immunology},
  keywords     = {General Medicine, Immunology},
  number       = {87},
  publisher    = {American Association for the Advancement of Science},
  title        = {{CCR7 acts as both a sensor and a sink for CCL19 to coordinate collective leukocyte migration}},
  doi          = {10.1126/sciimmunol.adc9584},
  volume       = {8},
  year         = {2023},
}

@inbook{13052,
  abstract     = {Imaging of the immunological synapse (IS) between dendritic cells (DCs) and T cells in suspension is hampered by suboptimal alignment of cell-cell contacts along the vertical imaging plane. This requires optical sectioning that often results in unsatisfactory resolution in time and space. Here, we present a workflow where DCs and T cells are confined between a layer of glass and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) that orients the cells along one, horizontal imaging plane, allowing for fast en-face-imaging of the DC-T cell IS.},
  author       = {Leithner, Alexander F and Merrin, Jack and Sixt, Michael K},
  booktitle    = {The Immune Synapse},
  editor       = {Baldari, Cosima and Dustin, Michael},
  isbn         = {9781071631348},
  issn         = {1940-6029},
  pages        = {137--147},
  publisher    = {Springer Nature},
  title        = {{En-Face Imaging of T Cell-Dendritic Cell Immunological Synapses}},
  doi          = {10.1007/978-1-0716-3135-5_9},
  volume       = {2654},
  year         = {2023},
}

@article{10703,
  abstract     = {When crawling through the body, leukocytes often traverse tissues that are densely packed with extracellular matrix and other cells, and this raises the question: How do leukocytes overcome compressive mechanical loads? Here, we show that the actin cortex of leukocytes is mechanoresponsive and that this responsiveness requires neither force sensing via the nucleus nor adhesive interactions with a substrate. Upon global compression of the cell body as well as local indentation of the plasma membrane, Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein (WASp) assembles into dot-like structures, providing activation platforms for Arp2/3 nucleated actin patches. These patches locally push against the external load, which can be obstructing collagen fibers or other cells, and thereby create space to facilitate forward locomotion. We show in vitro and in vivo that this WASp function is rate limiting for ameboid leukocyte migration in dense but not in loose environments and is required for trafficking through diverse tissues such as skin and lymph nodes.},
  author       = {Gaertner, Florian and Reis-Rodrigues, Patricia and De Vries, Ingrid and Hons, Miroslav and Aguilera, Juan and Riedl, Michael and Leithner, Alexander F and Tasciyan, Saren and Kopf, Aglaja and Merrin, Jack and Zheden, Vanessa and Kaufmann, Walter and Hauschild, Robert and Sixt, Michael K},
  issn         = {1878-1551},
  journal      = {Developmental Cell},
  number       = {1},
  pages        = {47--62.e9},
  publisher    = {Cell Press ; Elsevier},
  title        = {{WASp triggers mechanosensitive actin patches to facilitate immune cell migration in dense tissues}},
  doi          = {10.1016/j.devcel.2021.11.024},
  volume       = {57},
  year         = {2022},
}

@article{11182,
  abstract     = {Immune cells are constantly on the move through multicellular organisms to explore and respond to pathogens and other harmful insults. While moving, immune cells efficiently traverse microenvironments composed of tissue cells and extracellular fibers, which together form complex environments of various porosity, stiffness, topography, and chemical composition. In this protocol we describe experimental procedures to investigate immune cell migration through microenvironments of heterogeneous porosity. In particular, we describe micro-channels, micro-pillars, and collagen networks as cell migration paths with alternative pore size choices. Employing micro-channels or micro-pillars that divide at junctions into alternative paths with initially differentially sized pores allows us to precisely (1) measure the cellular translocation time through these porous path junctions, (2) quantify the cellular preference for individual pore sizes, and (3) image cellular components like the nucleus and the cytoskeleton. This reductionistic experimental setup thus can elucidate how immune cells perform decisions in complex microenvironments of various porosity like the interstitium. The setup further allows investigation of the underlying forces of cellular squeezing and the consequences of cellular deformation on the integrity of the cell and its organelles. As a complementary approach that does not require any micro-engineering expertise, we describe the usage of three-dimensional collagen networks with different pore sizes. Whereas we here focus on dendritic cells as a model for motile immune cells, the described protocols are versatile as they are also applicable for other immune cell types like neutrophils and non-immune cell types such as mesenchymal and cancer cells. In summary, we here describe protocols to identify the mechanisms and principles of cellular probing, decision making, and squeezing during cellular movement through microenvironments of heterogeneous porosity.},
  author       = {Kroll, Janina and Ruiz-Fernandez, Mauricio J.A. and Braun, Malte B. and Merrin, Jack and Renkawitz, Jörg},
  issn         = {2691-1299},
  journal      = {Current Protocols},
  number       = {4},
  publisher    = {Wiley},
  title        = {{Quantifying the probing and selection of microenvironmental pores by motile immune cells}},
  doi          = {10.1002/cpz1.407},
  volume       = {2},
  year         = {2022},
}

@article{12109,
  abstract     = {Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) is a powerful tool for studying contact electrification (CE) at the nanoscale, but converting KPFM voltage maps to charge density maps is nontrivial due to long-range forces and complex system geometry. Here we present a strategy using finite-element method (FEM) simulations to determine the Green's function of the KPFM probe/insulator/ground system, which allows us to quantitatively extract surface charge. Testing our approach with synthetic data, we find that accounting for the atomic force microscope (AFM) tip, cone, and cantilever is necessary to recover a known input and that existing methods lead to gross miscalculation or even the incorrect sign of the underlying charge. Applying it to experimental data, we demonstrate its capacity to extract realistic surface charge densities and fine details from contact-charged surfaces. Our method gives a straightforward recipe to convert qualitative KPFM voltage data into quantitative charge data over a range of experimental conditions, enabling quantitative CE at the nanoscale.},
  author       = {Pertl, Felix and Sobarzo Ponce, Juan Carlos A and Shafeek, Lubuna B and Cramer, Tobias and Waitukaitis, Scott R},
  issn         = {2475-9953},
  journal      = {Physical Review Materials},
  number       = {12},
  publisher    = {American Physical Society},
  title        = {{Quantifying nanoscale charge density features of contact-charged surfaces with an FEM/KPFM-hybrid approach}},
  doi          = {10.1103/PhysRevMaterials.6.125605},
  volume       = {6},
  year         = {2022},
}

@article{12259,
  abstract     = {Theoretical foundations of chaos have been predominantly laid out for finite-dimensional dynamical systems, such as the three-body problem in classical mechanics and the Lorenz model in dissipative systems. In contrast, many real-world chaotic phenomena, e.g., weather, arise in systems with many (formally infinite) degrees of freedom, which limits direct quantitative analysis of such systems using chaos theory. In the present work, we demonstrate that the hydrodynamic pilot-wave systems offer a bridge between low- and high-dimensional chaotic phenomena by allowing for a systematic study of how the former connects to the latter. Specifically, we present experimental results, which show the formation of low-dimensional chaotic attractors upon destabilization of regular dynamics and a final transition to high-dimensional chaos via the merging of distinct chaotic regions through a crisis bifurcation. Moreover, we show that the post-crisis dynamics of the system can be rationalized as consecutive scatterings from the nonattracting chaotic sets with lifetimes following exponential distributions. },
  author       = {Choueiri, George H and Suri, Balachandra and Merrin, Jack and Serbyn, Maksym and Hof, Björn and Budanur, Nazmi B},
  issn         = {1089-7682},
  journal      = {Chaos: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Nonlinear Science},
  keywords     = {Applied Mathematics, General Physics and Astronomy, Mathematical Physics, Statistical and Nonlinear Physics},
  number       = {9},
  publisher    = {AIP Publishing},
  title        = {{Crises and chaotic scattering in hydrodynamic pilot-wave experiments}},
  doi          = {10.1063/5.0102904},
  volume       = {32},
  year         = {2022},
}

@article{8909,
  abstract     = {Spin qubits are considered to be among the most promising candidates for building a quantum processor. Group IV hole spin qubits have moved into the focus of interest due to the ease of operation and compatibility with Si technology. In addition, Ge offers the option for monolithic superconductor-semiconductor integration. Here we demonstrate a hole spin qubit operating at fields below 10 mT, the critical field of Al, by exploiting the large out-of-plane hole g-factors in planar Ge and by encoding the qubit into the singlet-triplet states of a double quantum dot. We observe electrically controlled X and Z-rotations with tunable frequencies exceeding 100 MHz and dephasing times of 1μs which we extend beyond 15μs with echo techniques. These results show that Ge hole singlet triplet qubits outperform their electronic Si and GaAs based counterparts in speed and coherence, respectively. In addition, they are on par with Ge single spin qubits, but can be operated at much lower fields underlining their potential for on chip integration with superconducting technologies.},
  author       = {Jirovec, Daniel and Hofmann, Andrea C and Ballabio, Andrea and Mutter, Philipp M. and Tavani, Giulio and Botifoll, Marc and Crippa, Alessandro and Kukucka, Josip and Sagi, Oliver and Martins, Frederico and Saez Mollejo, Jaime and Prieto Gonzalez, Ivan and Borovkov, Maksim and Arbiol, Jordi and Chrastina, Daniel and Isella, Giovanni and Katsaros, Georgios},
  issn         = {1476-4660},
  journal      = {Nature Materials},
  number       = {8},
  pages        = {1106–1112},
  publisher    = {Springer Nature},
  title        = {{A singlet triplet hole spin qubit in planar Ge}},
  doi          = {10.1038/s41563-021-01022-2},
  volume       = {20},
  year         = {2021},
}

@article{9038,
  abstract     = {Layered materials in which individual atomic layers are bonded by weak van der Waals forces (vdW materials) constitute one of the most prominent platforms for materials research. Particularly, polar vdW crystals, such as hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN), alpha-molybdenum trioxide (α-MoO3) or alpha-vanadium pentoxide (α-V2O5), have received significant attention in nano-optics, since they support phonon polaritons (PhPs)―light coupled to lattice vibrations― with strong electromagnetic confinement and low optical losses. Recently, correlative far- and near-field studies of α-MoO3 have been demonstrated as an effective strategy to accurately extract the permittivity of this material. Here, we use this accurately characterized and low-loss polaritonic material to sense its local dielectric environment, namely silica (SiO2), one of the most widespread substrates in nanotechnology. By studying the propagation of PhPs on α-MoO3 flakes with different thicknesses laying on SiO2 substrates via near-field microscopy (s-SNOM), we extract locally the infrared permittivity of SiO2. Our work reveals PhPs nanoimaging as a versatile method for the quantitative characterization of the local optical properties of dielectric substrates, crucial for understanding and predicting the response of nanomaterials and for the future scalability of integrated nanophotonic devices. },
  author       = {Aguilar-Merino, Patricia and Álvarez-Pérez, Gonzalo and Taboada-Gutiérrez, Javier and Duan, Jiahua and Prieto Gonzalez, Ivan and Álvarez-Prado, Luis Manuel and Nikitin, Alexey Y. and Martín-Sánchez, Javier and Alonso-González, Pablo},
  issn         = {20794991},
  journal      = {Nanomaterials},
  number       = {1},
  publisher    = {MDPI},
  title        = {{Extracting the infrared permittivity of SiO2 substrates locally by near-field imaging of phonon polaritons in a van der Waals crystal}},
  doi          = {10.3390/nano11010120},
  volume       = {11},
  year         = {2021},
}

@article{9334,
  abstract     = {Polaritons with directional in-plane propagation and ultralow losses in van der Waals (vdW) crystals promise unprecedented manipulation of light at the nanoscale. However, these polaritons present a crucial limitation: their directional propagation is intrinsically determined by the crystal structure of the host material, imposing forbidden directions of propagation. Here, we demonstrate that directional polaritons (in-plane hyperbolic phonon polaritons) in a vdW crystal (α-phase molybdenum trioxide) can be directed along forbidden directions by inducing an optical topological transition, which emerges when the slab is placed on a substrate with a given negative permittivity (4H–silicon carbide). By visualizing the transition in real space, we observe exotic polaritonic states between mutually orthogonal hyperbolic regimes, which unveil the topological origin of the transition: a gap opening in the dispersion. This work provides insights into optical topological transitions in vdW crystals, which introduce a route to direct light at the nanoscale.},
  author       = {Duan, J. and Álvarez-Pérez, G. and Voronin, K. V. and Prieto Gonzalez, Ivan and Taboada-Gutiérrez, J. and Volkov, V. S. and Martín-Sánchez, J. and Nikitin, A. Y. and Alonso-González, P.},
  issn         = {23752548},
  journal      = {Science Advances},
  number       = {14},
  publisher    = {AAAS},
  title        = {{Enabling propagation of anisotropic polaritons along forbidden directions via a topological transition}},
  doi          = {10.1126/sciadv.abf2690},
  volume       = {7},
  year         = {2021},
}

@unpublished{10095,
  abstract     = {Growth regulation tailors plant development to its environment. A showcase is response to gravity, where shoots bend up and roots down1. This paradox is based on opposite effects of the phytohormone auxin, which promotes cell expansion in shoots, while inhibiting it in roots via a yet unknown cellular mechanism2. Here, by combining microfluidics, live imaging, genetic engineering and phospho-proteomics in Arabidopsis thaliana, we advance our understanding how auxin inhibits root growth. We show that auxin activates two distinct, antagonistically acting signalling pathways that converge on the rapid regulation of the apoplastic pH, a causative growth determinant. Cell surface-based TRANSMEMBRANE KINASE1 (TMK1) interacts with and mediates phosphorylation and activation of plasma membrane H+-ATPases for apoplast acidification, while intracellular canonical auxin signalling promotes net cellular H+-influx, causing apoplast alkalinisation. The simultaneous activation of these two counteracting mechanisms poises the root for a rapid, fine-tuned growth modulation while navigating complex soil environment.},
  author       = {Li, Lanxin and Verstraeten, Inge and Roosjen, Mark and Takahashi, Koji and Rodriguez Solovey, Lesia and Merrin, Jack and Chen, Jian and Shabala, Lana and Smet, Wouter and Ren, Hong and Vanneste, Steffen and Shabala, Sergey and De Rybel, Bert and Weijers, Dolf and Kinoshita, Toshinori and Gray, William M. and Friml, Jiří},
  booktitle    = {Research Square},
  issn         = {2693-5015},
  title        = {{Cell surface and intracellular auxin signalling for H+-fluxes in root growth}},
  doi          = {10.21203/rs.3.rs-266395/v3},
  year         = {2021},
}

@article{10177,
  abstract     = {Phonon polaritons (PhPs)—light coupled to lattice vibrations—with in-plane hyperbolic dispersion exhibit ray-like propagation with large wave vectors and enhanced density of optical states along certain directions on a surface. As such, they have raised a surge of interest, promising unprecedented manipulation of infrared light at the nanoscale in a planar circuitry. Here, we demonstrate focusing of in-plane hyperbolic PhPs propagating along thin slabs of α-MoO3. To that end, we developed metallic nanoantennas of convex geometries for both efficient launching and focusing of the polaritons. The foci obtained exhibit enhanced near-field confinement and absorption compared to foci produced by in-plane isotropic PhPs. Foci sizes as small as λp/4.5 = λ0/50 were achieved (λp is the polariton wavelength and λ0 is the photon wavelength). Focusing of in-plane hyperbolic polaritons introduces a first and most basic building block developing planar polariton optics using in-plane anisotropic van der Waals materials.},
  author       = {Martín-Sánchez, Javier and Duan, Jiahua and Taboada-Gutiérrez, Javier and Álvarez-Pérez, Gonzalo and Voronin, Kirill V. and Prieto Gonzalez, Ivan and Ma, Weiliang and Bao, Qiaoliang and Volkov, Valentyn S. and Hillenbrand, Rainer and Nikitin, Alexey Y. and Alonso-González, Pablo},
  issn         = {23752548},
  journal      = {Science Advances},
  number       = {41},
  publisher    = {American Association for the Advancement of Science},
  title        = {{Focusing of in-plane hyperbolic polaritons in van der Waals crystals with tailored infrared nanoantennas}},
  doi          = {10.1126/sciadv.abj0127},
  volume       = {7},
  year         = {2021},
}

@article{10223,
  abstract     = {Growth regulation tailors development in plants to their environment. A prominent example of this is the response to gravity, in which shoots bend up and roots bend down1. This paradox is based on opposite effects of the phytohormone auxin, which promotes cell expansion in shoots while inhibiting it in roots via a yet unknown cellular mechanism2. Here, by combining microfluidics, live imaging, genetic engineering and phosphoproteomics in Arabidopsis thaliana, we advance understanding of how auxin inhibits root growth. We show that auxin activates two distinct, antagonistically acting signalling pathways that converge on rapid regulation of apoplastic pH, a causative determinant of growth. Cell surface-based TRANSMEMBRANE KINASE1 (TMK1) interacts with and mediates phosphorylation and activation of plasma membrane H+-ATPases for apoplast acidification, while intracellular canonical auxin signalling promotes net cellular H+ influx, causing apoplast alkalinization. Simultaneous activation of these two counteracting mechanisms poises roots for rapid, fine-tuned growth modulation in navigating complex soil environments.},
  author       = {Li, Lanxin and Verstraeten, Inge and Roosjen, Mark and Takahashi, Koji and Rodriguez Solovey, Lesia and Merrin, Jack and Chen, Jian and Shabala, Lana and Smet, Wouter and Ren, Hong and Vanneste, Steffen and Shabala, Sergey and De Rybel, Bert and Weijers, Dolf and Kinoshita, Toshinori and Gray, William M. and Friml, Jiří},
  issn         = {14764687},
  journal      = {Nature},
  keywords     = {Multidisciplinary},
  number       = {7884},
  pages        = {273--277},
  publisher    = {Springer Nature},
  title        = {{Cell surface and intracellular auxin signalling for H<sup>+</sup> fluxes in root growth}},
  doi          = {10.1038/s41586-021-04037-6},
  volume       = {599},
  year         = {2021},
}

@article{9887,
  abstract     = {Clathrin-mediated endocytosis is the major route of entry of cargos into cells and thus underpins many physiological processes. During endocytosis, an area of flat membrane is remodeled by proteins to create a spherical vesicle against intracellular forces. The protein machinery which mediates this membrane bending in plants is unknown. However, it is known that plant endocytosis is actin independent, thus indicating that plants utilize a unique mechanism to mediate membrane bending against high-turgor pressure compared to other model systems. Here, we investigate the TPLATE complex, a plant-specific endocytosis protein complex. It has been thought to function as a classical adaptor functioning underneath the clathrin coat. However, by using biochemical and advanced live microscopy approaches, we found that TPLATE is peripherally associated with clathrin-coated vesicles and localizes at the rim of endocytosis events. As this localization is more fitting to the protein machinery involved in membrane bending during endocytosis, we examined cells in which the TPLATE complex was disrupted and found that the clathrin structures present as flat patches. This suggests a requirement of the TPLATE complex for membrane bending during plant clathrin–mediated endocytosis. Next, we used in vitro biophysical assays to confirm that the TPLATE complex possesses protein domains with intrinsic membrane remodeling activity. These results redefine the role of the TPLATE complex and implicate it as a key component of the evolutionarily distinct plant endocytosis mechanism, which mediates endocytic membrane bending against the high-turgor pressure in plant cells.},
  author       = {Johnson, Alexander J and Dahhan, Dana A and Gnyliukh, Nataliia and Kaufmann, Walter and Zheden, Vanessa and Costanzo, Tommaso and Mahou, Pierre and Hrtyan, Mónika and Wang, Jie and Aguilera Servin, Juan L and van Damme, Daniël and Beaurepaire, Emmanuel and Loose, Martin and Bednarek, Sebastian Y and Friml, Jiří},
  issn         = {1091-6490},
  journal      = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences},
  number       = {51},
  publisher    = {National Academy of Sciences},
  title        = {{The TPLATE complex mediates membrane bending during plant clathrin-mediated endocytosis}},
  doi          = {10.1073/pnas.2113046118},
  volume       = {118},
  year         = {2021},
}

@article{9928,
  abstract     = {There are two elementary superconducting qubit types that derive directly from the quantum harmonic oscillator. In one, the inductor is replaced by a nonlinear Josephson junction to realize the widely used charge qubits with a compact phase variable and a discrete charge wave function. In the other, the junction is added in parallel, which gives rise to an extended phase variable, continuous wave functions, and a rich energy-level structure due to the loop topology. While the corresponding rf superconducting quantum interference device Hamiltonian was introduced as a quadratic quasi-one-dimensional potential approximation to describe the fluxonium qubit implemented with long Josephson-junction arrays, in this work we implement it directly using a linear superinductor formed by a single uninterrupted aluminum wire. We present a large variety of qubits, all stemming from the same circuit but with drastically different characteristic energy scales. This includes flux and fluxonium qubits but also the recently introduced quasicharge qubit with strongly enhanced zero-point phase fluctuations and a heavily suppressed flux dispersion. The use of a geometric inductor results in high reproducibility of the inductive energy as guaranteed by top-down lithography—a key ingredient for intrinsically protected superconducting qubits.},
  author       = {Peruzzo, Matilda and Hassani, Farid and Szep, Gregory and Trioni, Andrea and Redchenko, Elena and Zemlicka, Martin and Fink, Johannes M},
  issn         = {2691-3399},
  journal      = {PRX Quantum},
  keywords     = {quantum physics, mesoscale and nanoscale physics},
  number       = {4},
  pages        = {040341},
  publisher    = {American Physical Society},
  title        = {{Geometric superinductance qubits: Controlling phase delocalization across a single Josephson junction}},
  doi          = {10.1103/PRXQuantum.2.040341},
  volume       = {2},
  year         = {2021},
}

@article{10866,
  abstract     = {Recent discoveries have shown that, when two layers of van der Waals (vdW) materials are superimposed with a relative twist angle between them, the electronic properties of the coupled system can be dramatically altered. Here, we demonstrate that a similar concept can be extended to the optics realm, particularly to propagating phonon polaritons–hybrid light-matter interactions. To do this, we fabricate stacks composed of two twisted slabs of a vdW crystal (α-MoO3) supporting anisotropic phonon polaritons (PhPs), and image the propagation of the latter when launched by localized sources. Our images reveal that, under a critical angle, the PhPs isofrequency curve undergoes a topological transition, in which the propagation of PhPs is strongly guided (canalization regime) along predetermined directions without geometric spreading. These results demonstrate a new degree of freedom (twist angle) for controlling the propagation of polaritons at the nanoscale with potential for nanoimaging, (bio)-sensing, or heat management.},
  author       = {Duan, Jiahua and Capote-Robayna, Nathaniel and Taboada-Gutiérrez, Javier and Álvarez-Pérez, Gonzalo and Prieto Gonzalez, Ivan and Martín-Sánchez, Javier and Nikitin, Alexey Y. and Alonso-González, Pablo},
  issn         = {1530-6992},
  journal      = {Nano Letters},
  keywords     = {Mechanical Engineering, Condensed Matter Physics, General Materials Science, General Chemistry, Bioengineering},
  number       = {7},
  pages        = {5323--5329},
  publisher    = {American Chemical Society},
  title        = {{Twisted nano-optics: Manipulating light at the nanoscale with twisted phonon polaritonic slabs}},
  doi          = {10.1021/acs.nanolett.0c01673},
  volume       = {20},
  year         = {2020},
}