Imagine building a Lego tower with perfectly aligned blocks. Each block represents an atom in a tiny crystal, known as a quantum dot. Just like bumping the tower can shift the blocks and change its ...

In a surprising twist, researchers have identified crystals that are symmetrical but nevertheless absorb light as if they were chiral (Science 2025, DOI: 10.1126/science.adr5478). The discovery ...

Researchers have demonstrated a novel concept for exciting and probing coherent phonons in crystals of a transiently broken symmetry. The key of this concept lies in reducing the symmetry of a crystal ...

Redefining the repeating pattern in photonic crystals creates tightly confined pathways for light while preserving symmetry, offering a simple route to ultracompact and low loss light circuits.

Artistic illustration of lead sulfide quantum dots as they undergo structural changes when exposed to light, with lead atoms temporarily shifting to a new position. Credit: Cotts Lab at Middlebury ...