NEWSROOM

The researchers used a laser pulse (blue) to change the polarity of a ferromagnetic state in a special material consisting of twisted atomic layers (red).   (Visualisation: Enrique Sahagún, Scixel / ETH Zurich, University of Basel) Researchers at ETH Zurich and the University of Basel have succeeded in changing the polarity of a special ferromagnet using a laser beam. In the future, this method could be used to create adaptable electronic circuits with light.     In a ferroma

Figure | Dynamic tuning of Bloch modes in the α-MoO₃ PoC/graphene device. a , Schematic of an α-MoO 3 PoC/graphene device, consisting of a square periodically perforated α-MoO 3 /graphene heterostructure on a SiO 2 (285 nm)/Si substrate. b Theoretically calculated band structure of the α-MoO 3 PoC as a function of E F at a fixed frequency of 931 cm −1 . The yellow dashed lines indicate the free space light cone. Inset: the first Brillouin zone of the square-type PoC. Cre

Scientists have created 3D printed surfaces featuring intricate textures that can be used to bounce unwanted gas particles away from quantum sensors, allowing useful particles like atoms to be delivered more efficiently, which could help improve measurement accuracy. The researchers from the University of Nottingham’s School of Physics and Astronomy created intricate, fine-scale surface textures that preferentially bounce incident particles in particular directions. This can

An unexpected discovery in a Harvard lab has led to a breakthrough insight into choosing an unconventional material, silica, to make optical metasurfaces – ultra-thin, flat structures that control light at the nanoscale and are already replacing traditional optical devices like lenses and mirrors. A team from Harvard's John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and collaborators at the University of Lisbon has found that in some cases, silica — the fundamental

In collaboration with scientists in Germany, EPFL researchers have demonstrated that the spiral geometry of tiny, twisted magnetic tubes can be leveraged to transmit data based on quasiparticles called magnons, rather than electrons.

In physics, some of the most striking phenomena emerge when perfect symmetry shatters. This principle, known as spontaneous symmetry breaking, underlies everything from the Higgs mechanism that gives particles mass to the twist of DNA and the handedness of seashells. Researchers have now uncovered a particularly fascinating stage for this phenomenon in liquid crystals—soft materials that flow like liquids yet maintain molecular order like solids.