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Ultrathin metal and semiconductor films emit multicolor light, paving way for new optical sensing devices

A new breakthrough in the field of physics led by doctoral student Yueming Yan could allow for the creation of small, thin, low-power optical devices to be used in both medical imaging and environmental sensing.

In a study published in Science Advances, Yan and his colleagues, including Associate Professor of Chemistry Janet Macdonald and Stevenson Professor of Physics Richard Haglund, examined tiny nanoparticles of metals and semiconductors, specifically gold and copper.

The team laid down two ultrathin layers of gold and semiconducting copper sulfide nanoparticles, creating a “sandwich” 100 times thinner than a human hair. They then zapped this sandwich with a flash of light shorter than a trillionth of a second. Doing so caused the particles to “chat” back and forth, exchanging energy so efficiently that they re-emitted light in multiple different colors.

The US just got a new X-ray laser toolkit to study nature’s mysteries

With a suite of reimagined instruments at SLAC’s LCLS facility, researchers see massive improvement in data quality and take up scientific inquiries that were out of reach just one year ago.

Some of science’s biggest mysteries unfold at the smallest scales. Researchers investigating super small phenomena—from the quantum nature of superconductivity to the mechanics that drive photosynthesis—come to the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory to use the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS).

Like a giant microscope, LCLS sends pulses of ultrabright X-rays to a suite of specialized . With these tools, scientists take crisp pictures of atomic motions, watch unfold, probe the and explore fundamental processes in living things.

Quantum ‘Starry Night’: Physicists capture elusive instability and exotic vortices

Van Gogh’s “The Starry Night” has stirred the souls of art lovers for over a century. Now, its swirling skies may also speak to physicists, as it echoes the patterns of quantum turbulence.

Physicists at Osaka Metropolitan University and the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology have for the first time successfully observed the quantum Kelvin–Helmholtz instability (KHI)—a phenomenon predicted decades ago but never before seen in quantum fluids. The instability produces exotic vortex patterns known as eccentric fractional skyrmions, whose crescent-shaped structures bear a resemblance to the moon in Van Gogh’s masterpiece.

KHI is a classic phenomenon in , where waves and vortices form at the boundary between two fluids moving at different speeds—as seen in wind-whipped ocean waves, swirling clouds, or Van Gogh’s skies.

Quantum technologies—‘Standards currently offer a greater chance of success than regulation,’ says researcher

How can quantum technologies be developed responsibly? In the journal Science, researchers from the Technical University of Munich (TUM), the University of Cambridge, Harvard University and Stanford University argue that international standards should be established before laws are enacted.

Prof. Urs Gasser explains why the authors propose a quality management system for , how standards create trust and where even competing countries such as China and the US can cooperate.

Quantum technologies could have an even more disruptive impact than artificial intelligence. This is why there are growing calls to steer technological development in a socially responsible direction at an early stage through legislation, unlike with AI. Why do you see things differently?

Men and Women Reflect on Their Mistakes Differently, Study Finds

Female brains process past mistakes differently, shaped by a specific RNA. This could explain sex-based differences in depression risk and decision-making. A type of RNA that has historically received little attention has now been found to play a key role in building resilience to depression—but

“How Can We Make Sense of This?” — Strange “Infinity” Galaxy Stuns Scientists

Astronomers may have caught a supermassive black hole in the act of forming inside a uniquely shaped galaxy. Astronomers working with the W. M. Keck Observatory on Maunakea, Hawaiʻi Island have identified a rare and unusual galaxy they’ve dubbed the “Infinity” galaxy. This intriguing object appears

Rare Footage Shows a Fault Line Tearing Open. It’s a Game-Changer for Earthquake Science

A historic Myanmar earthquake was caught on CCTV, revealing the fault moving 2.5 meters in just 1.3 seconds.

The rare footage confirmed a pulse-like rupture and a curved slip path, offering groundbreaking clues for earthquake science.

Powerful Earthquake Shakes Central Myanmar.

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