Spin-polarized edge states in two-dimensional materials hold promise for spintronics and quantum computing applications. Constructing stable edge states by tailoring two-dimensional semiconductor materials with bulk-boundary correspondence is a feasible approach. Recently layered NiI₂ is suggested as a two-dimensional type-II multiferroic semiconductor with intrinsic spiral spin ordering and chirality-induced electric polarization. However, the one-dimensional spin-polarized edge states of multiferroic materials down to monolayer limit has not yet been studied. We report here that monolayer NiI₂ was successfully synthesized on Au(111) by molecular beam epitaxy. Spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy experiments visualize orientation-selective spin-polarized edge states in monolayer NiI₂ islands. By performing first-principles calculations, we further confirm that spin-polarized edge states are selectively aligning along the Ni-terminated edges rather than the I-terminated edges. Our result will provide the opportunity to tune edge states by selected orientation and to develop spintronic devices in two-dimensional magnetic semiconductors.

Bubbles are widely used in the medical field due to their strong acoustic scattering properties, and the interaction between bubbles affects the scattering acoustic field caused by the bubble cluster. In this study, the dynamic equations of bubbles oscillating in viscoelastic tissues are solved numerically. The effect of bubble interaction on the scattered acoustic pressure under dual-frequency ultrasound is analyzed. In addition, the frequency spectra of the scattered acoustic waves due to the bubbles with and without considering the interaction are compared. The results show that the suppression or enlargement of the scattered sound pressure caused by the interaction between bubbles is related to the bubble radius and the incident frequency. Moreover, when the incident frequency is equal to the resonant frequency of the bubble with equilibrium radius R₀, the effect of resonant bubbles is stronger than that of non-resonant bubbles. Meanwhile, for the multi-bubble system with a small bubble number density, the total response of the bubble cluster can be approximated as an algebraic sum of the dynamical behavior of individual bubbles.

The unique double-cantilever beam structure and vibration mode of the tuning fork enable the measuring of fluid density and viscosity synchronously in a decoupling manner. Therefore, it is widely employed in oil and gas development and in petrochemical, food, textile, and other industries. In this paper, quality factors are used to characterize the energy losses of lithium niobate tuning forks when vibrating in a fluid, and the influence parameters, such as length, width, and thickness of the tuning fork arm, etc., of different quality factors are examined with a focus on the viscous quality factor of the fluid. The optimized design of lithium niobate tuning fork dimensions is carried out on this premise, and the analytical solution of the optimal dimension of the lithium niobate tuning fork in the air is obtained. Secondly, the optimal dimension of the lithium niobate tuning fork in fluids is given out by finite element simulation, and the sensitivity of the optimized fork to the viscosity of fluids is investigated. The results show that the optimized tuning fork has a higher quality factor, and thus has a larger parameter measurement range as well as being more sensitive to the change in the fluid density and viscosity. Therefore, the results are of great significance for guiding the preparation and practical application of lithium niobate tuning forks.

Bubbles are widely used in industrial production, biomedical engineering, and many other fields. The analysis of the response of bubble clusters under acoustic waves is significant for the application of bubbles. In this paper, different bubble dynamics models are used to calculate the instantaneous radius of multi-bubbles, and the results corresponding to the different models are compared with those by the finite element method. In addition, the effect of bubble interactions on bubble pulsation is analyzed at different distances, and the effect of incident acoustic direction on the bubble's instantaneous radius is also investigated. The results show that time delays, which have often been neglected in previous work, should be considered except when the bubble spacing is minimal. The results calculated by the finite element method indicate that the attraction and repulsion between bubbles are alternating, which is related to the velocity field between bubbles. Moreover, the suppression or promotion of bubble interactions for bubble pulsation is affected by bubble distance under the same acoustic excitation conditions. Finally, for a bubble cluster with large bubble distances, its total scattered field relating to the incident acoustic wave can be approximated as the interference field of multiple secondary acoustic sources with the same waveform and different phases. If these bubbles are in random motion, the total scattered sound intensity of the bubble cluster is proportional to the number of bubbles.

Bubbly liquids are widely present in the natural environment and industrial fields, such as seawater near the ocean bottom, the multiphase flow in petroleum reservoirs, and the blood with bubbles resulting in decompression sickness. Therefore, accurate measurement of the gas content is of great significance for hydroacoustic physics, oil and gas resources exploration, and disease prevention and diagnosis. Trace bubbles in liquids can lead to considerable changes in the acoustic properties of gas–liquid two-phase media. Acoustic measurements can therefore be applied for trace bubble detection. This study derived the reflection coefficient of acoustic waves propagating in a sandwich layering model with liquid, bubbly liquid, and liquid. The influences of gas contents on the reflection coefficient at the layer interface were analyzed based on theoretical calculations. It was revealed that the magnitude of the reflection coefficient and the frequency interval between its valleys have a quantitative correlation with the gas contents. Thus, a novel means to detect the contents of trace bubbles was proposed by evaluating the reflection coefficients. The reflection features of a thin layer with bubbly liquid were then studied through experiments. It was validated by acoustical measurements and theories that the reflection coefficient is considerably sensitive to the change of gas contents as long as the gas content is tiny. With the increasing gas content, the maximum value of the reflection coefficient increases; meanwhile, the frequency intervals between the valleys become smaller. However, when the gas content is extensive enough, e.g., greater than 1%, the effect of the change of gas content on the reflection coefficient becomes inapparent. In that case, it is not easy to measure the gas content by the acoustic reflection signals with satisfying precision. This proposed method has potential applications for the detection of trace gas bubble content in several scenarios, e.g., decompression illness prevention and diagnosis.

The pulsation of bubbles under dual-frequency ultrasound is closely associated with their application in medical diagnostics. In this study, we derive the analytical solution of the bubble dynamic equations in viscoelastic media under dual-frequency ultrasound and compare it with numerical solutions. The effects of the surrounding medium's viscoelasticity, bubble equilibrium radius, incident acoustic frequency, and incident sound pressure ratio on the bubble pulsation and its scattered acoustic waves are analyzed. The results demonstrate consistency between the analytical and numerical solutions. Moreover, our analytical solution reveals that an increase in medium viscosity leads to a decrease in the amplitude of bubble pulsation, even at resonance frequency. Additionally, when the sound pressure ratio is 1, both the difference frequency and sum frequency exhibit maximum amplitude in the spectrum of instantaneous bubble radius. Furthermore, for resonance approximation in sparse bubble cluster detection using sum and difference frequencies, it is necessary for incident frequency f₁ to be greater than twice the resonance frequency of the smallest bubble within the cluster.