Why does plastic turn brittle and paint fade when exposed to the sun for long periods? Scientists have long known that such organic photodegradation occurs due to the sun’s energy generating free radicals: molecules that have lost an electron to sunlight-induced ionization and have been left with an unpaired one, making them very eager to react with other molecules in the environment. However, the exact mechanisms for how and why the energy from the sun’s photons get stored and released in the materials over very long periods have eluded empirical evidence.  

The problem lies in the timeframe. While scientists have access to extremely sophisticated spectroscopy equipment capable of measuring the energy levels of individual electrons at femtosecond to millisecond scales in organic materials, they have paid little attention to time scales beyond seconds – and these are processes that can take years.  

As such, slow, transient charge accumulation has presented a disappointing data gap in both applied and theoretical optics. But now, researchers from the Organic Optoelectronics Unit at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) have addressed this challenge with a new methodology that detects these faint signals. Their findings are published in Science Advances.

Browaeys is recognized for the development of arrays of single neutral atoms held in optical tweezers as a platform for exquisitely controlled quantum simulation of many-body physics.

A team from the Faculty of Physics and the Centre for Quantum Optical Technologies at the Centre of New Technologies, University of Warsaw has developed a new method for measuring elusive terahertz signals using a "quantum antenna." The authors of the work utilized a novel setup for radio wave detection with Rydberg atoms to not only detect but also precisely calibrate a so-called frequency comb in the terahertz band. This band was until recently a white spot in the electromagnetic spectrum, and the solution described in the prestigious journal Optica paves the way for ultrasensitive spectroscopy and a new generation of quantum sensors operating at room temperature.

Iron-on patches can repair clothing or add personal flair to backpacks and hats. And now they could power wearable tech, too. Researchers reporting in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces have combined liquid metal and a heat-activated adhesive to create an electrically conductive patch that bonds to fabric when heated with a hot iron. In demonstrations, circuits ironed onto a square of fabric lit up LEDs and attached an iron-on microphone to a button-up shirt.

A research team from the Institute of Modern Physics (IMP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has directly measured the masses of two highly unstable atomic nuclei, phosphorus-26 and sulfur-27. These precise measurements provide crucial information for determining the nuclear reaction rate during X-ray bursts, advancing our understanding of how elements are synthesized under such extreme conditions.

Researchers at TU Wien have developed a new way to produce the medically important isotope Cu-64: using neutron irradiation in a research reactor combined with a clever “recoil chemistry” technique that cleanly separates the desired atoms. A faster, simpler, and reusable process for radiopharmaceuticals.

The study surveys rapid progress in techniques capable of creating, manipulating and detecting quantum structured light. These include on-chip integrated photonics, nonlinear optics, and multiplane light conversion, which now form a modern and increasingly powerful toolkit. 

When ice melts into water, it happens quickly, with the transition from solid to liquid being immediate. However, very thin materials do not adhere to these rules. Instead, an unusual state between solid and liquid arises: the hexatic phase. Researchers at the University of Vienna have now succeeded in directly observing this exotic phase in an atomically thin crystal. Using state-of-the-art electron microscopy and neural networks, they filmed a silver iodide crystal protected by graphene as it melted. Ultra-thin, two-dimensional materials enabled researchers to directly observe atomic-scale melting processes. The new findings significantly advance the understanding of these phase transitions. Surprisingly, the observations contradict previous predictions – a result now published in Science.

The research team of Prof. Kyu-Young Park at POSTECH has revealed the origin of capacity degradation in high-nickel cathodes, and proposed a key strategy for designing next-generation batteries that simultaneously boost energy density and lifespan.