NEWSROOM

Researchers at the University of Science and Technology of China have demonstrated skin mode tunability in photonic Floquet lattices. A potential applied at one boundary isolates a skin mode at the opposite boundary, turning it into a self-healing state that recovers its profile after disturbance. The approach enables control of non-Hermitian wave dynamics for mode routing and optical switching. Published in PhotoniX.

A joint team from SNU, KAIST, and KBSI has identified the distinct reaction sites of silver nanocatalysts in solid oxide cells. During electricity generation the catalyst–electrode interface dominates, while during hydrogen production the nanoparticle surface is key. The finding enables new design principles for higher-efficiency green hydrogen and clean power systems. Published in Energy & Environmental Science.

MIT and Broad Institute researchers have developed U-STORM, a super-resolution microscopy platform using engineered upconverting nanoparticles that blink spontaneously and indefinitely. The method achieves 0.6-angstrom localization precision with a single near-infrared laser, enabling multicolor imaging without complex buffers or multiple lasers. This simplifies high-precision molecular imaging for biological applications. Published in Nature Nanotechnology.

Rice University researchers and collaborators have found that ultrathin, strained ruthenium dioxide exhibits spin textures consistent with altermagnetism, a newly recognized class of magnetism. Lattice strain induces the magnetic state absent in the bulk form, offering a potential control mechanism for spintronic devices and next-generation RAM architectures. Published in Science Advances.

Researchers at the University of Osaka have developed an autonomous solid-state nanopore that senses molecules, generates electrical signals, and retains memory of recent events without external control. Chemical reactions inside the pore continuously reshape its structure, producing molecule-specific signal patterns. Machine learning distinguished DNA nucleotides and amino acids from these signatures. Published in ACS Nano.

Researchers at MPSD and the University of Oxford have discovered that mechanical strain induces chirality in non-chiral crystals, a phenomenon they term the piezochiral effect. Tensile or compressive strain creates left- or right-handed structures that can be reversed on demand. The work establishes a general route to control chirality and is accompanied by an open materials database. Published in Nature.

Researchers at Fudan University have mapped the extreme fluid acceleration of quark–gluon plasma in heavy-ion collisions using transport model simulations. Peak proper accelerations reach several hundred MeV, concentrated at the fireball edge. Acceleration may act as a thermodynamic control parameter influencing QCD phase structure and particle spin polarization. Published in Nuclear Science and Techniques.

Researchers at the University of Tokyo fabricated optical structures based on the “Smith hat,” the aperiodic monotile that solves the Einstein problem. Laser illumination of these nanostructures produced previously unobserved chiral diffraction patterns, revealing how aperiodicity and lack of mirror symmetry can twist light. The results open new directions for quasiperiodic optical devices. Published in Nature Communications.

An international team from École polytechnique, Collège de France, and HZDR has experimentally realized an all-optical photonic time crystal. Using HZDR’s TELBE terahertz source, they strongly modulated the optical properties of a plasmonic metamaterial on picosecond timescales. This enables ultrafast control of light in the terahertz range and opens paths toward new lasers and optical technologies. Published in Nature.

New imaging technique visualizes and measures plasmonic waves in device structures designed for practical uses

JGU researcher Jairo Sinova and former Mainz-based scientist Libor Šmejkal receive the 2026 EPS Europhysics Prize of the European Physical Society together with Tomas Jungwirth

Researchers at OIST and Hiroshima University have shown that a small magnetic field switches the graphene-like quantum material CeTe₃ between competing electronic patterns — striped and checkerboard. Scanning tunneling microscopy revealed the transformation near absolute zero, driven by electronic frustration coupled to magnetism. The findings, published in Nature Communications, offer a new strategy for controlling collective electronic states in quantum materials with poten