Thesis

The American Physical Society (APS), upon hearing this, immediately made the graduate students present realize that it was the second-largest physics organization in the world, second only to the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). However, CERN's primary focus is particle physics and it is a multinational collaborative laboratory, while the APS is mainly focused on physics academia, thus making it the "holy land" of physics worldwide.

"Really?" the crew-cut male master's student asked somewhat unnaturally.

Although he hadn't published many papers, it didn't mean he didn't know the industry status of P.R.B.

At least in condensed matter physics, being able to publish in P.R.B meant having a place in the field. With a P.R.B paper like this, one could easily secure an associate professor position at an ordinary second-tier university, which was far more valuable than a master's degree. It's worth noting that many doctoral dissertations at universities only require the publication of one SCI journal paper, and some even only require publication in a key domestic journal.

Tao Xun had witnessed Du Ke's paper being published from start to finish. Hearing the crew-cut male master's student's doubt at this moment made him explode, "How could this be fake? I translated Du's paper into English for him, and I revised the wording with Dean Chen Yang. If even this can't pass P.R.B, then no one can publish in P.R.B. Go back and take a good look at the Journal of Chemical Physics. Du published three papers in one go in the latest issue!"

Just then, Du Ke's phone buzzed, indicating a new email.

Tao Xun was about to hand the phone back to Du Ke when he suddenly caught sight of the email address. It was from Physical Review B again, so he clicked it open directly. Given their current relationship, there was no need to be polite. "P.R.B sent another email, I'll check it for you. Hmm, this is... an invited submission? Du Ke, well done, it seems P.R.B really values your paper, they're inviting you to submit!"

"Invited submission?" Du Ke was puzzled; he still didn't quite understand the rules of the academic world.

However, the master's students present had a change in their expressions. The cute round-faced female master's student exclaimed, "Old Tao, is it a targeted invited submission? That's amazing! A targeted invited submission from Physical Review B, that's a top core SCI journal from abroad. Du Ke, are you really this good? No wonder you got recommended for graduate studies at Xiake University; you truly are a top student."

The cute round-faced female master's student looked at Du Ke with sparkling eyes. Such a young, handsome, and talented man – she was falling for him.

This made the crew-cut male master's student uncomfortable, but he didn't know how to retort, so he could only mumble softly, "It's just an invited submission; don't many SCI journals invite submissions after you've published a paper?"

But he was sitting right next to Tao Xun, so Du Ke didn't need to explain. Tao Xun reprimanded, "What do you know? This is P.R.B, do you understand? Do you think it's some trash journal soliciting articles? Their editorial board can barely keep up with reviewing manuscripts and rejects so many papers every year! Do you think they would invite Du Ke to submit if his paper wasn't high quality? They only invite submissions from industry leaders!"

Tao Xun fiercely refuted the crew-cut male master's student. After all, he was listed as the second author on this review paper.

Then, he turned to the cute round-faced female master's student and others with a smile, "Du Ke is a graduate student I personally recruited, and after graduating from me, he'll pursue his doctorate under Dean Chen. I've mentored two cohorts of graduate students before, and with Du Ke's cohort, that makes three. You might all be starting your careers soon, but Du Ke is definitely a talent for scientific research. Get to know each other well; you can help each other out in the future."

"Junior Du, come, Senior Sister will toast you," one female master's student said, raising her drink.

This made him seem subordinate, and Du Ke was actually quite impatient with this seniority system, but society was like this, and he didn't want to appear too aloof, so he picked up his glass, "I'll toast Senior Sister."

After a round of drinks, Tao Xun pulled him over to the main table. "Come, come, let me introduce everyone. This is Du Ke, the graduate student I've recruited for the second half of the year. He's a top student who just published a paper in P.R.B, and they've already invited him to submit. His next paper will likely also be published in P.R.B. In the future, at Xiake University, please take good care of him." This table was filled with Tao Xun's colleagues.

"Oh my, he published in P.R.B? That's impressive, Tao Xun, you've struck gold."

"Not bad, not bad."

"Du Ke, is it? A handsome young man."

Everyone at the table was a professor or associate professor, or at the very least a lecturer. They weren't as shocked by P.R.B, but politeness dictated they offer praise. For a master's student to publish in a core SCI journal was indeed worthy of such compliments.

After Li Yun's birthday banquet ended, Tao Xun was already drunk. Du Ke was fine, but the atmosphere at the master's student table wasn't as lively as expected. The crew-cut male master's student was still resentful of Du Ke, so after a round of drinks, everyone basically kept to themselves.

Du Ke also ended up chatting more with the three female master's students.

After leaving the banquet, he suddenly realized that apart from the most beautiful, the cute round-faced female master's student named Li Juan, he hadn't remembered the names of any of the other master's students. "Sigh, I have the same problem as Brother Dong; I'm bad with faces... Brother Dong doesn't recognize his wife's beauty, but I don't recognize anyone I find unattractive."

Just as he found a designated driver, Li Yun came out supporting a drunken Tao Xun. Even while drunk, Tao Xun couldn't forget to instruct, "Little Du, write your next paper well. Dean Chen and I will help you revise it again. Let's aim for P.R.B again. In the future... in... in the future, strive to publish in P.R.L. After you finish your doctorate, starting at Xiake University, you'll be at least an associate professor. You have better conditions than I do... I... I just don't have enough papers, and I still can't get promoted to... Professor!"

Li Yun pulled him along and advised, "Alright, Little Du, you should go back first. Old Tao is just like this; he talks endlessly after drinking, complaining more than an old woman."

"Sister-in-law, is Old Tao alright? Should I call a designated driver?"

"No need, I haven't been drinking; I'll drive."

"Okay."

When Du Ke returned to the villa, his phone rang again. It was Dean Chen Yang. He immediately asked, "Little Du, your paper passed? And P.R.B invited you to submit?"

"Dean Chen, how did you know?"

"Tao Xun called me."

"Oh, it's like this. I just received the email during lunch; I hadn't had time to notify you yet."

"You've done very well. It seems the electron flow theory has gained the attention of domestic and international peers. Do you have any ideas for your next paper?"

"Mm, it's almost finished."

"What?" Chen Yang exclaimed on the phone, "Finished? No way, Little Du, you're saying your next paper is already written? How is that possible? I was planning to help you contact laboratories so you could focus on your research and strive to bring the electron flow theory from concept to practical application. How is it already finished? By the way, what is the main content of the paper?"

Physics isn't like mathematics, where you can just write and calculate to make big news. Many physics experiments require enormous funding, which is why the academic community is still debating whether to build the Circular Electron Positron Collider (CEPC). Even physics giants like Yang Zhenning opposed it, yet the country ultimately decided to build the CEPC. This is because it's understood that significant scientific research achievements cannot be made without substantial investment.

Therefore, after learning that Du Ke's paper had passed, Chen Yang pondered for a long time and decided to support Du Ke's experiments, striving for new breakthroughs in the electron flow theory.

As a result, before he could even help contact a laboratory, Du Ke claimed his fifth paper was already written. This made him feel a sense of unreality – it felt as natural as drinking water to write papers. In such a short time, four SCI papers had been published, and the fifth was about to be released.