With artificial intelligence pushing today’s hardware to process, move, and cool more, Penn physicists led by Bo Zhen are looking to the electron’s massless counterpart, the photon, to shoulder more of the load. In a new study, the team has created hybrid light-matter particles that interact strongly enough to compute, pointing toward ultrafast, low-energy optical AI hardware.

In quantum physics, time can exist in a superposition where the different flows of time exist at the same moment. However, this has never been observed experimentally. Now, researchers have developed a theoretical model that shows that this quantum superposition of times can be observed using state-of-the-art atomic clocks. The results open a new frontier in fundamental physics and may lead to more precise next-generation clocks.

After the success of Artemis II, longer space journeys are expected, raising new health and nutritional challenges for astronauts. Current space foods rely on dried, shelf-stable items. A study published in ACS Food Science & Technology suggests fortified beverages could help fill nutrient gaps and add variety to astronauts’ diets. Researchers created drinks using emulsions that are stable in Earth’s gravity and microgravity. Their recipes deliver omega-3 fatty acids with customizable sweetness levels and flavors.

Lanthanide ratiometric nanothermometers often deviate from Boltzmann statistics, so calibration and sensitivity become unpredictable. Researchers developed a population dynamics framework that defines the onset temperature and thermal coupling window and yields a practical rule: the nearest lower level must lie beyond twice the interlevel gap. A splitting factor links sensitivity with chemical bonding. Using dual thermally coupled pairs, ultrathin flexible patches achieve real time temperature monitoring with up to 6.17 % K^-1 relative sensitivity.

The practical applications of sulfide-based all-solid-state batteries (ASSBs) are hindered by poor interfacial compatibility between cathode active materials and sulfide solid electrolytes. A widely employed solution is to use a protective layer to prevent direct contact between the cathode materials and electrolyte. However, its minimum thickness has not been established. In this study, researchers determined that a 2.5 nm lithium niobium oxide protective layer is the minimum effective thickness for suppressing interfacial degradation in ASSBs.

Kumamoto University is proud to announce that Mr. Takenobu Nakagawa, a Senior Technical Specialist has been awarded the 2026 Commendation for Science and Technology by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). Mr. Nakagawa received the Outstanding Support for Research Award in the Advanced Technical Support Category.