How molten carbon crystallizes into either graphite or diamond is relevant to planetary science, materials manufacturing and nuclear fusion research. A new study uses computer simulations to study how molten carbon crystallizes into either graphite or diamond at temperatures and pressures similar to Earth’s interior, challenging the conventional understanding of diamond formation.

A research team led by Gregor Weihs has developed a method for the deliberate control of dark excitons in quantum dots. Using chirped laser pulses and a magnetic field, the physicists succeeded in controlling these optically inactive quasiparticles and harnessing their unique properties for the storage and processing of quantum states.

Researchers are exploring how to produce more sustainable chemicals and fuels.

A new research paper introduces a paradigm shift in twisted materials, moving beyond the traditional K-point twisting to explore the M-point of electron momentum. This new approach unlocks a class of twisted quantum materials with unique properties, including flattened electron bands and the potential for realizing elusive quantum spin liquids. The research, involving a global collaboration, has already led to the synthesis of candidate materials, paving the way for experimental realization and potential technological applications.

Researchers have developed a new photonic neural network architecture that significantly improves task accuracy by leveraging the physical properties of light. Unlike traditional designs that mimic digital neural networks, this system uses physical transformations and multisynaptic optical paths to process information directly, avoiding errors from digital modeling and simulation. Tested on benchmark datasets including MNIST, Fashion-MNIST, and CIFAR-10, the network achieved classification accuracies of 99.79, 98.26, and 90.29 percent, respectively—outperforming both digital counterparts and existing hardware systems. The findings mark a major step toward more efficient and accurate AI hardware.