Many seafaring cultures crossed the sea by observing the sky. The sun and the stars can be used to find the actual position as to set the ship's course. Using the height above the horizon of certain ...

The quantum behavior of atomic vibrations excited in a crystal using light pulses has much to do with the polarization of the pulses, say materials scientists. The findings from their latest study ...

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 ...

Although caffeine is the most widely used drug in the world, many people may not know what the substance actually looks like. In April 2024, a post on Reddit (archive) claimed to show "Caffeine ...

Optical microscope image of a representative crystal that possesses centrosymmetry, yet shows differential absorption of circularly polarized light. The crystal is made of lithium, cobalt, selenium ...

A time crystal is a form of matter that shows continuous, repeating patterns over time, much like how atoms in a normal ...

It's a beautiful summer day, and you're outside enjoying the weather. You are wearing your favorite sunglasses for protection from the bright sun. However, you still find yourself squinting when the ...

“Everything is born out of nothing. All you do is shine a light, and this whole world of time crystals emerges,” said University of Colorado Boulder physicist Ivan Smalyukh. In a field where most ...

Just when scientists thought they knew everything about crystals, a Northwestern University and University of Wisconsin-Madison collaboration has uncovered a hidden secret. Centrosymmetric crystals ...

To the naked eye, solids may appear perfectly still, but in reality, their constituent atoms and molecules are anything but. They rotate and vibrate, respectively defining the so-called "rotational" ...