The lower mantle has two significant structures known as large low-velocity anomalies (LLVPs) beneath the Pacific Ocean and Africa. These LLVPs cover approximately 30 percent of the core-mantle boundary (CMB) and exert a crucial influence on lower mantle dynamics. However, their stability has been a subject of controversy within the scientific community. Certain studies propose that these two LLVPs have maintained stability for hundreds of millions of years (Torsvik et al., 2010). Conversely, other research suggests that these structures may exhibit a more dynamic nature, akin to the continental motions observed on the Earth’s surface, involving processes of coalescence and dispersion (McNamara and Zhong, 2005).

Spin-orbit coupling is a phenomenon in quantum physics that involves the interaction between the spin of a particle and its orbital motion. This effect is important in many fields, such as condensed matter physics, molecular physics, atomic physics, and atomic nuclear physics. In condensed matter physics, spin-orbit coupling has important effects on the electronic structure and properties of materials, such as magnetism, electrical conductivity, and optical properties. In the atomic nucleus, the spin-orbit coupling effect is used to explain the “magic number” of the nucleus.

On May 24, 2024, Professor Roland Diehl from the Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik was invited to the 152nd Science Lecture at the College of Science.

On May 21, 2024, Prof. Fei QI from Shanghai Jiao Tong University was invited to the 153rd Science Lecture in the College of Science, SUSTech. He gave a lecture themed “Physical Chemistry in Flame”.

Clarivate Analytics unveiled its latest Essential Science Indicators (ESI) data on May 9, announcing that the Chemistry discipline at the Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) has been ranked among the world’s top 1‰ disciplines for the first time.