To boldly go: New frontiers for APL

摘要

The first year as the Editor-in-Chief of Applied Physics Letters has not been without its challenges. I refer of course to the global pandemic and the lockdown we have endured in recent months. Nevertheless, the excellent news at the end of June that the journal's impact factor has increased for the fourth year running came as a very welcome highlight. It reflects the dedication of the journal editors who are the gatekeepers of academic rigor, as well as the considerable work that the journal managers and editorial office contribute, to ensure that the ship runs smoothly and on course. We have been very busy this year steering the journal in new directions. Introducing the Perspective article was our first new enterprise, and I am delighted to see how successfully it has created an additional communication pathway, welcoming established scientific leaders to contribute their thoughts, as well as creating a platform for a younger community of emerging scientists to have an influence in shaping their field. The first Perspective article published covered the fascinating and still controversial topic of the influence of chiral molecules on the transport spin polarization of carriers, the so-called chiral induced spin selectivity (CISS).1 While the world searches for new ways to perform computations with much lower dissipation, spin properties of materials still shine out in the firmament as promising routes to address this challenge. Many of the early Perspectives published such as magneto-electronic spin-orbit antiferromagnetic devices,2 or the engineering of skyrmions and emergent monopoles in topological spin crystals,3 or indeed developing silicon carbide for quantum spintronics,4 demonstrate opportunities. Another theme, hybrid perovskites, so important for developing efficient photovoltaic devices, is also a vehicle for a range of other applications. For example, read about the significant potential for metal halide perovskites to be exploited for x-ray detection.5 The response to our Perspective invitation has been phenomenal, and in these first few months, over 35 Perspectives have published in areas including energy efficient devices,6，7 materials and devices that can operate at high power,8 or higher frequency,9，10 or indeed materials and devices for energy harvesting,11 and technology associated with imaging,12 sensing, and secure communication.13 You can find these and many more in a dedicated Collections page on the journal homepage.