Chris Van de Walle, a distinguished professor of materials at UC Santa Barbara, has been awarded the American Physical Society’s 2025 Aneesur Rahman Prize for Computational Physics, the highest honor given by APS for work in that field. The prize, which dates back to 1993, honors Rahman, a founder of the field of molecular dynamics who pioneered computational methods for modeling physical systems.

In a recent paper in Nature Physics, an international research collaboration used world-class instrumentation at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) to study the exotic nuclide, or rare isotope, chromium-62. Researchers used a gamma-ray spectroscopy experiment in tandem with theoretical models to identify an unexpected variety of shapes in chromium-62. The finding provides more insight into so-called “islands of inversion,” or regions in the nuclear chart where certain nuclides diverge from traditional viewpoints based on the properties of stable nuclei.

As stated by the International Energy Agency (IEA), approximately 50 percent of global final energy consumption is dedicated to heating. Yet, the utilization of solar power in this sector remains relatively low compared to fossil energy sources. An inherent problem limiting the widespread usage of solar energy is the intermittency of its direct availability. A promising solution comes in the form of molecular solar energy storage systems. Conventional thermal energy storage strategies store the energy for short periods, e.g., in the form of hot water. In contrast, molecular solar energy storage systems store solar energy in the form of chemical bonds, allowing it to be preserved for several weeks or even months. These specialized molecules – or photoswitches – absorb solar energy and release it later as heat, on demand. However, a key challenge for current photoswitches is the trade-off between energy storage capacity and efficient absorption of solar light, limiting the overall performance. To overcome this issue, research teams at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) and the University of Siegen present a novel approach in a collaborative study.

Earlier this year, researchers at the Flatiron Institute announced that they had successfully used a classical computer and sophisticated mathematical models to outperform a quantum computer at a task that some thought only quantum computers could solve. Now, those researchers have determined why they were able to trounce the quantum computer at its own game.

Syracuse University physicist devises new model to identify different types of explosions in the distant Universe, allowing fresh insights into the late stages of the evolution of massive stars and the formation of neutron stars and black holes.

MIT researchers designed tiny particles that can be implanted at a cancer tumor site, where they deliver two types of therapy: heat and chemotherapy.