A research team led by Professor XU Guosheng from the Institute of Plasma Physics, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, have for the first time demonstrated, in a metal-wall environment, a plasma regime that simultaneously achieves partial divertor detachment, an edge-localized-mode (ELM)-free high-confinement mode (H-mode), and high pedestal performance.

A research team led by Prof. YIN Huajie from the Institute of Solid State Physics, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, has developed a high-performance chlor-alkali electrode catalyst that combines outstanding activity with long-term stability.

A research team led by Prof. ZHANG Jian at the Institute of Solid State Physics, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, in collaboration with Prof. XIAO Chong from the University of Science and Technology of China and Prof. ZHANG Yongsheng from Qufu Normal University, achieved a peak ZT value of 2.03 at 873 K in chalcopyrite-based thermoelectric materials using a novel dual antisite defect strategy.

A study led by Professor Bing Liu and Researcher Ang Li reveals that neuroticism contains two distinct dimensions with opposing health effects. While general neuroticism is linked to mental disorders, a newly identified dimension called ERIS shows that individuals prone to worry actually live longer—suggesting different dimensions of neuroticism serve distinct evolutionary missions: “ensuring survival” versus “pursuing happiness.”

High-efficiency light modulation within transparent substrates is crucial for advancing in-chip integrated optical technologies, yet microscale 3D optical design in dielectric environments remains challenging. Scientists in China proposed a single-pulse ultrafast laser-driven anisotropic lithography technique based on anisotropic thermal deposition, enabling efficient patterning of regular and high-purity amorphization with multidimensional controllability in 3D free space. This establishes a versatile platform for on-demand production of all-dielectric micro/nanophotonic architectures in transparent dielectrics, unlocking new avenues for 3D integrated photonics applications.

Asteroids and comets are scientifically valuable targets for understanding the early Solar System and promising objects for future in situ resource utilization. However, operating robots on these small bodies remains extremely challenging because of microgravity, irregular terrain, uncertain surface properties, and very low escape velocities. A review article published in SmartBot by researchers from China University of Mining and Technology, Soochow University, and the University of Oxford provides a comprehensive overview of three core technologies for small-body sampling robots: sampling, mobility, and anchoring. The review further highlights that the success of future missions depends not only on improving each individual module, but also on understanding and optimizing their dynamic coupling as an integrated robotic system.

A new theoretical study explains why photon‑tagged jets show a broadening of their angular structure in lead‑lead collisions at the Large Hadron Collider, while inclusive jets appear narrower. The work demonstrates that photon‑tagged jets significantly reduce selection biases and are more effective at capturing the true medium‑induced modifications of jets traversing the hot, dense quark‑gluon plasma.

A research team led by Prof. HAO Ning of the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, in collaboration with Anhui University and the University of Science and Technology of China, has identified two distinct types of unusual low-energy quasiparticle states in the kagome superconductor CsV₃Sb₅ using single-atom impurities as local "quantum probes" combined with scanning tunnelling spectroscopy.