SAN ANTONIO — August 4, 2026 — A Southwest Research Institute-led paper documents how NASA’s Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere mission could greatly improve the ability to forecast the arrival of coronal mass ejections (CMEs). These vast clouds of magnetized plasma can disrupt satellites, power grids and communications when they strike Earth.

One of the most famous and intriguing results of quantum mechanics is the finding that fundamental particles, such as electrons, cannot be pinned down to one single location. Instead, a particle is described by its “wavefunction”, which allows researchers to derive probability distributions – a sort of mathematical map that shows the possibilities – of fundamental properties such as its position and momentum. In particular, the electron wavefunctions within a molecule, known as “molecular orbitals”, carry information about how the molecule interacts with its surroundings. For example, it shows how it may absorb light or how a chemical reaction might take place. As a consequence, knowledge of the complete three-dimensional wavefunction is highly desirable, but imaging the wavefunction has proven to be a major experimental challenge. An interdisciplinary research team at the University of Göttingen has now managed to image the three-dimensional wavefunction of a nanometer-sized organic molecule. They overcame the limitations by combining state-of-the-art photoelectron spectroscopy with powerful mathematical algorithms. The results were published in Nature Communications.

Rice University has received a $15 million award from the U.S. Army Research Office to establish a five-year research center dedicated to advancing secure sensing, imaging and communications. The Center for Large Aperture Secure Sensing, Imaging and Communications, or CLASSIC, brings together researchers from universities and national laboratories across the country to develop advanced antenna technologies for future wireless systems.

Researchers have developed realistic skin-mimicking models that could help improve the accuracy of optical medical devices and wearable sensors across a wider range of skin tones. The multilayer silicone phantoms incorporate artificial blood vessels and simulated blood flow, enabling controlled testing of technologies such as pulse oximeters. The team found that coffee more closely replicated the optical properties of skin pigmentation than commercial skin-tone pigments, producing reflectance spectra of multi-layered phantoms that better matched human skin. Imaging experiments showed that darker pigmented layers increasingly masked signals from underlying blood vessels, reflecting a known challenge for light-based health measurements. The durable phantoms may provide a valuable tool for reducing skin-tone-related bias in the development and evaluation of optical healthcare technologies.

The American Chemical Society (ACS) unveiled its evolved brand that reflects the organization's evolution, its growing global impact, and its vision for a world built on science. Launching during ACS' 150th anniversary year, the evolution strengthens how the organization delivers its mission to advance scientific knowledge, empower a global community, and champion scientific integrity.

Temperature is a fundamental physical quantity. With the rapid development of stretchable electronics, transparent stretchable temperature sensors are in critical demand. However, performance retention under strain is a great challenge, and the influence of the electrode on the sensing performance is rarely reported.

A self-powered blue photodetector based on WS₂:Ag nanocomposites with Au/graphene asymmetric electrodes is reported. The localized surface plasmon resonance of Ag nanoparticles synergizes with high-energy excitons in WS₂, enhancing near-field absorption and hot-electron injection. Transient absorption spectroscopy reveals that the built-in electric field facilitates rapid carrier separation. Under zero bias, the device delivers a responsivity of 244 mA/W and an external quantum efficiency of 74.7%. It further demonstrates high-resolution (128 × 128) single-pixel imaging in both clear and turbid water, achieving a peak signal-to-noise ratio of 25.5 dB. This work offers a viable strategy for low-power underwater optical communication and high-visibility imaging.

Researchers have developed a breakthrough tandem electrode structure that integrates both anodic (NiO) and cathodic (W₁₈O₄₉) electrochromic materials onto a single substrate. By inserting a conductive ITO interlayer, the team successfully overcame the common problem of material interference, significantly speeding up response times and enhancing coloration efficiency. This innovation allows smart windows to switch seamlessly between transparent, brown, and blue states, providing dynamic control over both visible light and heat-producing near-infrared radiation for more energy-efficient buildings.

Violet phosphorus is a promising layered semiconductor, but its intrinsic charge-transport behavior has remained difficult to determine because device interfaces can strongly affect measurements. Researchers synthesized high-quality single-crystalline violet phosphorus by chemical vapor transport and fabricated van der Waals heterostructure field-effect transistors using full h-BN encapsulation and van der Waals graphite or pre-patterned bottom contacts to minimize fabrication-induced interface damage. The devices exhibited robust unipolar n-type conduction, ohmic-like output behavior, current on/off ratios approaching 10⁷ and ambient stability for more than 200 days, clarifying the inherent transport nature of violet phosphorus.