@article{21451, abstract = {The population of the little red dots (LRDs) may represent a key phase of supermassive black hole (SMBH) growth. A cocoon of dense excited gas is emerging as a key component to explain the most striking properties of LRDs, such as strong Balmer breaks and Balmer absorption, as well as the weak IR emission. To dissect the structure of LRDs, we analyzed new deep JWST/NIRSpec PRISM and G395H spectra of FRESCO-GN-9771, one of the most luminous known LRDs at z = 5.5. These spectra reveal a strong Balmer break, broad Balmer lines, and very narrow [O III] emission. We revealed a forest of optical [Fe II] lines, which we argue are emerging from a dense (nH = 109 − 10 cm−3) warm layer with electron temperature Te ≈ 7000 K. The broad wings of Hα and Hβ have an exponential profile due to electron scattering in this same layer. The high Hα : Hβ : Hγ flux ratio of ≈10.4 : 1 : 0.14 is an indicator of collisional excitation and resonant scattering dominating the Balmer line emission. A narrow Hγ component, unseen in the other two Balmer lines due to outshining by the broad components, could trace the ISM of a normal host galaxy with a star formation rate of ∼5 M⊙ yr−1. The warm layer is mostly opaque to Balmer transitions, producing a characteristic P Cygni profile in the line centers suggesting outflowing motions. This same layer is responsible for shaping the Balmer break. The broadband spectrum can be reasonably matched by a simple photoionized slab model that dominates the λ > 1500 Å continuum and a low-mass (∼108 M⊙) galaxy that could explain the narrow [O III], with only a subdominant contribution to the UV continuum. Our findings indicate that Balmer lines are not directly tracing the gas kinematics near the SMBH and that the BH mass scale is likely much lower than virial indicators suggest.}, author = {Torralba Torregrosa, Alberto and Matthee, Jorryt J and Pezzulli, Gabriele and Naidu, Rohan P. and Ishikawa, Yuzo and Brammer, Gabriel B. and Chang, Seok Jun and Chisholm, John and De Graaff, Anna and D’Eugenio, Francesco and Di Cesare, Claudia and Eilers, Anna Christina and Greene, Jenny E. and Gronke, Max and Iani, Edoardo and Kokorev, Vasily and Kotiwale, Gauri and Kramarenko, Ivan and Ma, Yilun and Mascia, Sara and Navarrete, Benjamín and Nelson, Erica and Oesch, Pascal and Simcoe, Robert A. and Wuyts, Stijn}, issn = {1432-0746}, journal = {Astronomy & Astrophysics}, publisher = {EDP Sciences}, title = {{The warm outer layer of a little red dot as the source of [Fe ii] and collisional Balmer lines with scattering wings}}, doi = {10.1051/0004-6361/202557537}, volume = {707}, year = {2026}, } @article{21452, abstract = {Galaxies exhibit a tight correlation between their star formation rate (SFR) and stellar mass over a wide redshift range known as the star-forming main sequence (SFMS). With JWST, the SFMS can now be investigated at high redshifts down to masses of ∼106 M⊙, using sensitive star formation rate tracers such as the Hα emission, which allow us to probe the variability in the star formation histories. We present inferences of the SFMS based on 316 Hα-selected galaxies at z ∼ 4 − 5 with log(M★/M⊙) = 6.4 − 10.6. These galaxies were identified behind the Abell 2744 lensing cluster with NIRCam grism spectroscopy from the survey All the Little Things (ALT). At face value, our data suggest a shallow slope in the SFMS (SFR ∝ M★α, with α = 0.45). After we corrected this for the Hα-flux limited nature of our survey using a Bayesian framework, the slope steepened to α = 0.59+0.10−0.09, whereas current data on their own are inconclusive on the mass dependence of the scatter. These slopes differ significantly from the slope of ∼1 that is expected from the observed evolution of the galaxy stellar mass function and from simulations. When we fixed the slope to α = 1, we found evidence for a decreasing intrinsic scatter with stellar mass (from ∼0.5 dex at M★ = 108 M⊙ to 0.4 dex at M★ = 1010 M⊙). This difference might be explained by a (combination of) luminosity-dependent SFR(Hα) calibration, a population of (mini)-quenched low-mass galaxies, or underestimated dust attenuation in high-mass galaxies. Future deep observations with different facilities can quantify these processes, which will enable us to achieve better insights into the variability of the star formation histories.}, author = {Di Cesare, Claudia and Matthee, Jorryt J and Naidu, Rohan P. and Torralba, Alberto and Kotiwale, Gauri and Kramarenko, Ivan and Blaizot, Jeremy and Rosdahl, Joakim and Leja, Joel and Iani, Edoardo and Adamo, Angela and Covelo-Paz, Alba and Furtak, Lukas J. and Heintz, Kasper E. and Mascia, Sara and Navarrete, Benjamín and Oesch, Pascal A. and Romano, Michael and Shivaei, Irene and Tacchella, Sandro}, issn = {1432-0746}, journal = {Astronomy & Astrophysics}, publisher = {EDP Sciences}, title = {{The slope and scatter of the star-forming main sequence at z ∼ 5: Reconciling observations with simulations}}, doi = {10.1051/0004-6361/202557790}, volume = {707}, year = {2026}, } @article{21454, abstract = {This study examines the distribution, growth, and GLOF hazard of glacial lakes across major Himalayan river basins. Basin-wise GLOF susceptibility was assessed using glacial lake abundance, spatial distribution, and rates of lake area expansion. The Kosi, Yarlung Zangbo, Manas, and Upper Indus basins were identified as the most susceptible and classified as critical. The highest rates of lake size increase were observed in the Kosi Basin, followed by Yarlung Zangbo, Manas, Karnali, Upper Indus, and Tista, indicating their potential as future GLOF-prone regions. Moreover, a Himalayan-scale GLOF hazard map was generated integrating population, hydropower infrastructure, potential flood volume, roads, settlements, and railways revealing high hazard levels in the Chenab, Jhelum, Teesta, and Beas basins in India; the Koshi, Tama-Koshi, and Dudh-Koshi basins in Nepal; and the Kuri Chu sub-basin of the Manas Basin in Bhutan. These findings highlight priority regions where detailed field investigations and hydrodynamic modelling are essential before further infrastructure development.}, author = {Mohanty, Litan and Gantayat, Prateek}, issn = {1947-5713}, journal = {Geomatics Natural Hazards and Risk}, number = {1}, publisher = {Taylor & Francis}, title = {{Comprehensive assessment of Himalayan glacial lakes concerning their distribution, dynamics, and hazard potential}}, doi = {10.1080/19475705.2026.2639085}, volume = {17}, year = {2026}, } @article{21469, abstract = {Terahertz (THz) spectroscopy is a powerful probe of low-energy excitations in complex materials. Extending it into the nonlinear regime broadens its scope and can provide valuable insight into interactions among these modes. However, interpreting nonlinear spectra is challenging because resonant features in this case do not always reflect intrinsic material dynamics. Here, we study nonlinear THz-induced Kerr effect in a generic material LaAlO3. After detailed analysis of temporal oscillations of the Kerr signal, we identify an 𝐸𝑔 Raman mode at 1.1 THz excited through a two-photon process, while two additional peaks (0.86 and 0.36 THz) arise from phase matching of the near-infrared probe beam with co- and counterpropagating THz pump fields, mediated by off-resonant electronic hyperpolarizability. These results demonstrate the crucial role of kinematic effects in shaping THz-induced Kerr response and establish a framework for interpreting nonlinear spectroscopies in complex materials.}, author = {Shen, Chao and Frenzel, Maximilian and Maehrlein, Sebastian F. and Alpichshev, Zhanybek}, issn = {1079-7114}, journal = {Physical Review Letters}, number = {10}, publisher = {American Physical Society}, title = {{Disentangling electronic and ionic nonlinear polarization effects in bulk THz Kerr response}}, doi = {10.1103/1c5k-9z82}, volume = {136}, year = {2026}, } @article{21470, abstract = {Despite its pivotal role in optical manipulation, high capacity communications, and quantum information, a general measure of orbital angular momentum (OAM) in structured light remains elusive. In optical fields, where multiple vortices coexist, the local nature of vortex OAM and the absence of a common rotation axis make the total OAM of the field difficult to quantify. Here, we introduce the R index—a metric that captures the intrinsic OAM content of any structured optical field, from pure Laguerre–Gaussian modes to arbitrary multi vortex superpositions. Not only does this metric quantify the total OAM, it also assesses field purity, providing insight into the fidelity and robustness of the OAM generation. By unifying OAM characterization into a single figure of merit, the R index enables direct comparison across diverse beam profiles and facilitates the identification of optimal configurations for both foundational studies and applied technologies.}, author = {Bahl, Monika and Koutentakis, Georgios and Maslov, Mikhail and Jungnickel, Tom and Gaßen, Timo and Lemeshko, Mikhail and Heckl, Oliver H.}, issn = {2515-7647}, journal = {Journal of Physics: Photonics}, number = {1}, publisher = {IOP Publishing}, title = {{The R-index: A universal metric for evaluating OAM content and mode purity in optical fields}}, doi = {10.1088/2515-7647/ae3506}, volume = {8}, year = {2026}, } @article{21471, author = {Backlund, Sofia Maria and Stankowski, Sean and Soler Schaller, Rosina Matilde}, issn = {1537-2197}, journal = {American Journal of Botany}, number = {3}, publisher = {Wiley}, title = {{Seeds as space-time travelers: How does evolution balance the joint benefits and trade-offs of dormancy and dispersal?}}, doi = {10.1002/ajb2.70175}, volume = {113}, year = {2026}, } @article{21473, abstract = {Physical exercise acutely improves hippocampus-dependent memory. Whereas animal studies have offered cellular- and synaptic-level accounts of these effects, human neuroimaging studies show that exercise improves hippocampal-cortical connectivity at the macroscale level. However, the neurophysiological basis of exercise-induced effects on hippocampal-cortical circuits remains unknown. Experimental evidence supports the idea that hippocampal sharp wave-ripples (SWR) play a critical role in learning and memory. Coupling between SWRs in the hippocampus and neocortex may reflect modulations in inter-regional connectivity required by mnemonic processes. Here, we examine the hypothesis that exercise modulates hippocampal-cortical ripple dynamics in the human brain. We performed intracranial recordings in epilepsy patients undergoing pre-surgical evaluation, during awake resting state, before and after an exercise session. Exercise increased ripple rate in the hippocampus. Exercise also enhanced the coupling and phase-synchrony between cortical ripples in the limbic and the default mode (DM) cortical networks and hippocampal SWRs. Further, a higher heart rate during exercise, reflecting exercise intensity, was related to a subsequent increase in resting state ripples across specific cortical networks, including the DM network. These results offer the first direct evidence that a single exercise session elicits changes in ripple events, a well-established neurophysiological marker of mnemonic processing. The characterisation and anatomical distribution of the described modulation points to hippocampal ripples as a potential mechanism by which exercise elicits its reported short-term effects in cognition.}, author = {Cardenas, Araceli R. and Ramirez Villegas, Juan F and Kovach, Christopher K. and Gander, Phillip E. and Cole, Rachel C. and Grossbach, Andrew J. and Kawasaki, Hiroto and Greenlee, Jeremy D.W. and Howard, Matthew A. and Nourski, Kirill V. and Banks, Matthew I. and Voss, Michelle W.}, issn = {2632-1297}, journal = {Brain Communications}, number = {2}, publisher = {Oxford University Press}, title = {{Exercise enhances hippocampal-cortical ripple interactions in the human brain}}, doi = {10.1093/braincomms/fcag041}, volume = {8}, year = {2026}, } @article{21480, abstract = {We present and test a protocol to learn the matrix-product operator (MPO) representation of an experimentally prepared quantum state. The protocol takes as input classical shadows corresponding to local randomized measurements, and outputs the tensors of an MPO maximizing a suitably defined fidelity with the experimental state. The tensor optimization is carried out sequentially, similarly to the well-known density matrix renormalization group algorithm. Our approach is provably efficient under certain technical conditions expected to be met in short-range correlated states and in typical noisy experimental settings. Under the same conditions, we also provide an efficient scheme to estimate fidelities between the learned and the experimental states. We experimentally demonstrate our protocol by learning entangled quantum states of up to N = 96 qubits in a superconducting quantum processor. Our method upgrades classical shadows to large-scale quantum computation and simulation experiments.}, author = {Votto, Matteo and Ljubotina, Marko and Lancien, Cécilia and Cirac, J. Ignacio and Zoller, Peter and Serbyn, Maksym and Piroli, Lorenzo and Vermersch, Benoît}, issn = {1079-7114}, journal = {Physical Review Letters}, number = {9}, publisher = {American Physical Society}, title = {{Learning mixed quantum states in large-scale experiments}}, doi = {10.1103/rbg2-f61m}, volume = {136}, year = {2026}, } @article{21481, abstract = {The Hα emission line in galaxies is a powerful tracer of their recent star formation activity. With the advent of JWST, we are now able to routinely observe Hα in galaxies at high redshift (z ≳ 3) and thus measure their star formation rates (SFRs). However, using classical SFR(Hα) calibrations to derive the SFRs leads to biased results because high-redshift galaxies are commonly characterized by low metallicities and bursty star formation histories, affecting the conversion factor between the Hα luminosity (LHα) and the SFR. We developed a set of new SFR(Hα) calibrations that allowed us to predict the SFRs of Hα-emitters at z ≳ 3 with very little error. We used the SPHINX cosmological simulations to select a sample of star-forming galaxies representative of the Hα-emitter population observed with JWST. We then derived linear corrections to the classical SFR(Hα) calibrations that took variations in the physical properties (e.g., stellar metallicities) among individual galaxies into account. We obtained two new SFR(Hα) calibrations that compared to the classical calibrations reduce the root mean squared error (RMSE) in the predicted SFRs by ΔRMSE ≈ 0.04 dex and ΔRMSE ≈ 0.06 dex, respectively. Using the recent JWST NIRCam/grism observations of Hα-emitters at z ∼ 6, we show that the new calibrations affect the high-redshift galaxy population statistics: (i) the estimated cosmic SFR density decreases by ΔρSFR ≈ 12%, and (ii) the observed slope of the star formation main sequence increases by Δ∂logSFR/∂logM★ = 0.08 ± 0.02.}, author = {Kramarenko, Ivan and Rosdahl, J. and Blaizot, J. and Matthee, Jorryt J and Katz, H. and Di Cesare, Claudia}, issn = {1432-0746}, journal = {Astronomy & Astrophysics}, publisher = {EDP Sciences}, title = {{H α as a tracer of star formation in the SPHINX cosmological simulations}}, doi = {10.1051/0004-6361/202557114}, volume = {707}, year = {2026}, } @article{21482, abstract = {Controlling the size and shape of assembled structures is a fundamental challenge in self-assembly and is highly relevant in material design and biology. Here, we show that specific but promiscuous short-range binding interactions make it possible to economically assemble linear filaments of user-defined length. Our approach leads to independent control over the mean and width of the filament size distribution and allows us to smoothly explore design trade-offs between assembly quality (spread in size) and cost (number of particle species). We employ a simple hierarchical assembly protocol to minimize assembly times and show that multiple stages of hierarchy make it possible to extend our approach to the assembly of higher-dimensional structures. Our work provides a conceptually simple solution to size control that is applicable to a broad range of systems, from DNA nanoparticles to supramolecular polymers and beyond.}, author = {Hübl, Maximilian and Goodrich, Carl Peter}, issn = {2643-1564}, journal = {Physical Review Research}, publisher = {American Physical Society}, title = {{Entropic size control of self-assembled filaments}}, doi = {10.1103/68rs-3qgn}, volume = {8}, year = {2026}, } @article{21485, abstract = {Insulating oxides are among the most abundant solid materials in the universe1,2,3. Of the many ways in which they influence natural phenomena, perhaps the most consequential is their capacity to transfer electrical charge during contact4,5,6,7,8,9,10—which occurs even between samples of the same oxide—yet the symmetry-breaking parameter that causes this remains unidentified11,12. Here we show that adventitious carbonaceous molecules adsorbed from the environment are the symmetry-breaking factor in same-material oxide contact electrification (CE). We use acoustic levitation to measure charge exchange between a sphere and a plate composed of identical amorphous silicon dioxide (SiO2). Although charging polarity is random for co-prepared samples, we control it with baking or plasma treatment. Observing the charge-exchange relaxation afterwards, we see dynamics over a timescale of hours and connect this directly to the presence of adventitious carbon with time-of-flight mass spectrometry, low-energy ion scattering and infrared spectroscopy. Going further, we confirm that adventitious carbon can even determine charge exchange among different oxides. Our results identify the symmetry-breaking parameter that causes insulating oxides to exchange charge in settings ranging from desert sands4 to volcanic plumes5,6, while simultaneously highlighting an overlooked factor in CE more broadly.}, author = {Grosjean, Galien M and Ostermann, Markus and Sauer, Markus and Hahn, Michael and Pichler, Christian M. and Fahrnberger, Florian and Pertl, Felix and Balazs, Daniel and Link, Mason M. and Kim, Seong H. and Schrader, Devin L. and Blanco, Adriana and Gracia, Francisco and Mujica, Nicolás and Waitukaitis, Scott R}, issn = {1476-4687}, journal = {Nature}, number = {8106}, pages = {626--631}, publisher = {Springer Nature}, title = {{Adventitious carbon breaks symmetry in oxide contact electrification}}, doi = {10.1038/s41586-025-10088-w}, volume = {651}, year = {2026}, } @article{21490, abstract = {Auxin canalization is a self-organizing process that governs the flexible formation of vasculature by reinforcing the formation of auxin transport channels. A key prerequisite is the feedback between auxin signaling and directional auxin transport, mediated by PIN transporters. Despite the developmental importance of canalization, the molecular components linking auxin perception to the regulation of PIN auxin transporters remain poorly understood. Here, we identify TOW, a novel and essential component of auxin canalization that links intracellular auxin signaling with cell surface auxin perception. TOW is regulated downstream of TIR1/AFB-Aux/IAA-WRKY23 transcriptional auxin signaling. tow mutants exhibit defects in regeneration and de novo vasculature formation, along with impaired formation of polarized, PIN-expressing auxin channels. At the subcellular level, these mutants display disrupted auxin-induced PIN polarization and altered PIN endocytic trafficking dynamics. TOW localizes predominantly to the plasma membrane, where it interacts with receptor-like kinases involved in auxin canalization, including the TMK1 auxin co-receptor and the CAMEL-CANAR complex. TOW promotes PIN interaction with these kinases and stabilizes PINs at the cell surface. Together, our findings identify TOW as a molecular link between intracellular and cell surface auxin signaling mechanisms that converge on PIN trafficking and polarity, providing new insights into how auxin signaling regulates directional auxin transport for the self-organizing formation of vasculature during flexible plant development.}, author = {Li, Mingyue and Rydza, Nikola and Mazur, Ewa and Molnar, Gergely and Nodzyński, Tomasz and Friml, Jiří}, issn = {0960-9822}, journal = {Current Biology}, number = {6}, pages = {1468--1480.e6}, publisher = {Elsevier}, title = {{Receptor-like-kinase-interacting protein TOW stabilizes PIN transporters for auxin canalization}}, doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2026.02.023}, volume = {36}, year = {2026}, } @article{21501, abstract = {Kinetically constrained models were originally introduced to capture slow relaxation in glassy systems, where dynamics are hindered by local constraints instead of energy barriers. Their quantum counterparts have recently drawn attention for exhibiting highly degenerate eigenstates at zero energy—known as zero modes—stemming from chiral symmetry. Yet, the structure and implications of these zero modes remain poorly understood. In this work, we focus on the properties of the zero mode subspace in quantum kinetically constrained models with a U(1) particle-conservation symmetry. We use the U(1) East, which lacks inversion symmetry, and the inversion-symmetric U(1) East-West models to illustrate our two main results. First, we observe that the simultaneous presence of constraints and chiral symmetry generally leads to a parametric increase in the number of zero modes due to the fragmentation of the many-body Hilbert space into disconnected sectors. Second, we generalize the concept of compact localized states from single-particle physics and introduce the notion of collective bound states, a special kind of nonergodic eigenstates that are robust to enlarging the system size. We formulate sufficient criteria for their existence, arguing that the degenerate zero mode subspace plays a central role, and demonstrate bound states in both example models and in a two-dimensional model, the U(1) North-East, and in the pairflip model, a system without particle conservation. Our results motivate a systematic study of bound states and their relation to ergodicity breaking, transport, and other properties of quantum kinetically constrained models. }, author = {Nicolau Jimenez, Eulalia and Ljubotina, Marko and Serbyn, Maksym}, issn = {2691-3399}, journal = {PRX Quantum}, publisher = {American Physical Society}, title = {{Fragmentation, zero modes, and collective bound states in constrained models}}, doi = {10.1103/sl79-1xgb}, volume = {7}, year = {2026}, } @article{21503, abstract = {Currently, pharmacogenetics relies on partially annotated star alleles, leaving novel variants and complex haplotypes uninterpretable. Computational scoring frameworks could overcome these limitations. Here, we comprehensively evaluated the ability of existing (CADD, FATHMM-XF, PROVEAN, MutationAssessor, SIFT, PhyloP100, APF, APF2) and novel (PharmGScore and PharmMLScore) variant effect predictors to assess pharmacogenetic alleles in multiple scenarios. Altogether we analyzed 541 PharmVar alleles, high‑throughput CYP2C9 and CYP2C19 mutational maps, and 200 642 UK Biobank exomes linked with health records containing antidepressant treatment outcomes. Many evaluated tools, especially ensemble frameworks, matched or exceeded star allele classifications (ROC‑AUC up to 0.85 for allele definitions, 0.95 in vitro; TPR up to 0.99 for exomes) and accurately predicted severe antidepressant adverse events for carriers of deleterious variants in CYP2C19 (OR 1.20–1.35). Our findings show that computational predictors deliver star allele accuracy while overcoming their limitations. With additional validation, computational tools could enhance clinical decision frameworks by enabling continuous scoring, incorporating previously unknown variants, and providing genome-wide applicability.}, author = {Hajto, Jacek and Piechota, Marcin and Krätschmer, Ilse and Konowalska, Paula and Boyle, Gabriel E. and Fowler, Douglas M. and Borczyk, Malgorzata and Korostynski, Michal}, issn = {1473-1150}, journal = {Pharmacogenomics Journal}, number = {2}, publisher = {Springer Nature}, title = {{Computational variant predictors for pharmacogenomics: From evaluation of single alleles to assessment of adverse drug reactions to antidepressants}}, doi = {10.1038/s41397-026-00399-0}, volume = {26}, year = {2026}, } @article{21509, abstract = {Chromatin remodeling complexes mobilize nucleosomes and promote transcription factor (TF) binding. Using ensemble and single-molecule assays combined with cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM), we studied the interaction between pioneer TFs OCT4–SOX2 and the human BRG1/BRM-associated factor (BAF) complex on nucleosomes. BAF engages TF-bound substrates in two orientations, placing OCT4–SOX2 at either the remodeler ENTRY or EXIT site. At the ENTRY site, OCT4–SOX2 initially coexists with BAF without structural interference. However, continued DNA translocation is expected to cause collisions with bound TFs, which can trigger remodeling direction reversals or may induce TF dissociation. To accommodate TFs at the EXIT site, BAF undergoes structural rearrangements, and ensemble assays reveal a nucleosome subpopulation translocating away from TF-binding sites. Moreover, single-molecule experiments show that nucleosome-bound BAF frequently changes remodeling direction, and we identify an ADP-bound remodeler conformation as a potential intermediate. Together, these findings reveal key aspects of the conformational dynamics and remodeling outcomes underlying BAF processing of TF-bound nucleosomes.}, author = {Weiss, Joscha and Vecchia, Luca and Domjan, David and Cavadini, Simone and Sabantsev, Anton and Kempf, Georg and Pathare, Ganesh R. and Brackmann, Klaus and Michael, Alicia and Kater, Lukas and Hietter-Pfeiffer, Eric and Haddawi, Mina and Kuber, Urja P. and Mühlhäusser, Sandra and Grand, Ralph S. and Stadler, Michael B. and Deindl, Sebastian and Thomä, Nicolas H.}, issn = {1097-2765}, journal = {Molecular Cell}, number = {4}, pages = {625--639.e8}, publisher = {Elsevier}, title = {{The human BAF chromatin remodeler processes nucleosomes bound by pioneer transcription factors OCT4–SOX2}}, doi = {10.1016/j.molcel.2026.01.021}, volume = {86}, year = {2026}, } @article{21532, abstract = {Recent research in nanophotonics for scintillation-based imaging has demonstrated promising improvements in scintillator performance. In parallel, advances in nanophotonics have enabled wavefront control through metasurfaces, a capability that has transformed fields such as microscopy by allowing tailored control of optical propagation. This naturally raises the following question, which we address in this Perspective: can wavefront-control strategies be leveraged to improve scintillation-based imaging? To answer this question, we explore nanophotonic- and metasurface-enabled wavefront control in scintillators to mitigate image blurring arising from their intrinsically diffuse light emission. While depth-of-field extension in scintillation faces fundamental limitations absent in microscopy, this approach reveals promising avenues, including stacked scintillators, selective spatial-frequency enhancement, and X-ray energy-dependent imaging. These results clarify the key distinctions in adapting wavefront engineering to scintillation and its potential to enable tailored detection strategies.}, author = {Chen, Joshua and Vaidya, Sachin and Pajovic, Simo and Choi, Seou and Michaels, William and Martin-Monier, Louis and Hu, Juejun and Cogswell, Carol and Roques-Carmes, Charles and Soljačić, Marin}, issn = {2330-4022}, journal = {ACS Photonics}, number = {7}, pages = {1757–1766}, publisher = {American Chemical Society}, title = {{Wavefront engineering for scintillation-based imaging}}, doi = {10.1021/acsphotonics.5c03124}, volume = {13}, year = {2026}, } @article{21537, abstract = {Nanophotonics has revolutionized the control of light-matter interactions in various fields of fundamental science and technology. In this work, we propose Implosion Fabrication (ImpFab) as a versatile nanophotonics fabrication platform providing the highest spatial resolution, material versatility, and full volumetric control. ImpFab uniquely combines top-down lithography with bottom-up nanoparticle assembly within a hydrogel scaffold, enabling precise control over optical material properties, such as refractive index, by adjusting printing parameters. We showcase the potential of ImpFab by fabricating three-dimensional photonic crystals and quasicrystals, as well as demonstrating optical structures with spatially modulated unit cell material properties. Our results highlight the potential of ImpFab in producing nanostructures with tailored optical functionalities, which are crucial for applications in sensing, imaging, and information processing, and opening new avenues in developing non-Hermitian photonic systems with spatially controlled gain and loss.}, author = {Salamin, Yannick and Yang, Gaojie and Mills, Brian and Grossi Fonseca, André and Roques-Carmes, Charles and Yang, Quansan and Beroz, Justin and Kooi, Steven E. and de Miguel Comella, Marc and Mak, Kiran and Vaidya, Sachin and Oran, Daniel and Swain, Corban and Sun, Yi and Maayani, Shai and Sloan, Jamison and Amin Elfadil Elawad, Amel and Lopez, Josue J. and Boyden, Edward S. and Soljačić, Marin}, issn = {2047-7538}, journal = {Light: Science & Applications}, publisher = {Springer Nature}, title = {{Three-dimensional nanophotonics with spatially modulated optical properties}}, doi = {10.1038/s41377-025-02166-5}, volume = {15}, year = {2026}, } @article{21555, abstract = {Spin-polarized electron beam sources enable studies of spin-dependent electric and magnetic effects at the nanoscale. We propose a method of creating spin-polarized electrons on an integrated photonics chip by laser-driven nanophotonic fields. A two-stage interaction separated by a free-space drift length is proposed, where the first stage and drift length introduces spin-dependent characteristics into the probability distribution of the electron wave function. The second stage uses an adjusted optical near field to rotate the spin states utilizing the spin-dependent wave-packet distribution to produce electrons with high ensemble average spin expectation values. This platform provides an integrated and compact method to generate spin-polarized electrons, implementable with millimeter scale chips and tabletop lasers.}, author = {Woodahl, Clarisse and Murillo, Melanie and Roques-Carmes, Charles and Karnieli, Aviv and Miller, David A. B. and Solgaard, Olav}, issn = {1079-7114}, journal = {Physical Review Letters}, number = {6}, publisher = {American Physical Society}, title = {{On-chip laser-driven free-electron spin polarizer}}, doi = {10.1103/3c1m-d3hh}, volume = {136}, year = {2026}, } @inproceedings{21581, abstract = {We demonstrate that nanophotonic scintillators based on three-dimensional (3D) photonic crystals can overcome the longstanding tradeoff between spatial resolution and light yield in X-ray imaging. By engineering supercollimation, which is light propagation without angular spreading, within the emission spectrum, we strongly shape the angular emission profile of the scintillator, dramatically reducing blurring at large thicknesses. Our theoretical and numerical results, using realistic scintillator and photonic crystal parameters, show that this improves the Detector Quantum Efficiency (DQE) by up to several orders of magnitude at high spatial frequencies, enabling sharper images and reduced X-ray dosages. This approach offers a new path toward high-resolution, low-dose X-ray imaging systems.}, author = {Vaidya, Sachin and Choi, Seou and Roques-Carmes, Charles and Soljačić, Marin}, booktitle = {High Contrast Metastructures XV}, location = {San Francisco, CA, United States}, publisher = {SPIE}, title = {{Supercollimating photonic crystal scintillators}}, doi = {10.1117/12.3079431}, volume = {PC13910}, year = {2026}, } @article{21583, abstract = {Non-Hermiticity naturally arises in physical systems that exchange energy with their environment. The presence of non-Hermiticity leads to many topological physics phenomena and device applications. In the non-Hermitian energy band theory, the foundation of these physics and applications, both energies and wave vectors take complex values. The energy bands thus become a Riemann surface, and such an energy-band Riemann surface underlies all important signatures of non-Hermitian topology. Despite a long history and recent theoretical interests, the energy-band Riemann surface has not been experimentally studied. Here, we provide a photonic observation of the energy-band Riemann surface of a non-Hermitian system. This is achieved by a tunable imaginary gauge transformation in photonic synthetic frequency dimensions. From measured topologies of the Riemann surface, we reveal the complex-energy winding, the open-boundary-condition spectrum, the generalized Brillouin zone, and the branch points. Our findings demonstrate a unified framework in the studies of diverse effects in non-Hermitian topological physics through an experimental observation of energy-band Riemann surfaces.}, author = {Cheng, Dali and Wang, Heming and Zhong, Janet and Lustig, Eran and Roques-Carmes, Charles and Fan, Shanhui}, issn = {2375-2548}, journal = {Science Advances}, number = {12}, publisher = {American Association for the Advancement of Science}, title = {{Experimental observation of energy-band Riemann surface}}, doi = {10.1126/sciadv.aec8239}, volume = {12}, year = {2026}, }