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    Category Physics

    Unhackable metasurface holograms: Security technology can lock information with light color and distance

    February 5, 2026, Categories  Technology/Electronics, Physics

    Schematic of secure holography using a reconfigurable stacked metasurface based on a modular diffractive deep neural network. Each metasurface layer independently reconstructs distinct wavelength-encoded holograms (e.g., ID and QR). When two layers are aligned at a specific interlayer spacing, the system is trained to reveal an encrypted hologram (PW). Because decryption is enabled by the combined choice of wavelength and interlayer spacing as physical decoding keys, the information can be retrieved without electronic computation. This single platform integrates standalone (layer-wise), combinational (cipher), and multi-wavelength functionalities, enabling a photonic security platform for optical encryption and data storage. Credit: POSTECH

    A research team led by Professor Junsuk Rho a...

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    Physicists achieve near-zero friction on macroscopic scales

    February 5, 2026, Categories  Physics, Technology/Electronics

    Physicists achieve near-zero friction on macroscopic scales
    Macroscale structural superlubricity at graphite/graphite and graphite/MoS2 interfaces. Credit: Minhao Han et al.

    For the first time, physicists in China have virtually eliminated the friction felt between two surfaces at scales visible to the naked eye. In demonstrating “structural superlubricity,” the team, led by Quanshui Zheng at Tsinghua University, have resolved a long-standing debate surrounding the possibility of the effect. Published in Physical Review Letters, the result could potentially lead to promising new advances in engineering.

    What structural superlubricity promises
    When two objects slide over each other, any roughness on their surfaces will almost inevitably resist the motion, creating the force of friction...

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    New AI system fixes 3D printing defects in real time

    February 4, 2026, Categories  Physics, Technology/Electronics

    AI saves 3D prints in real time
    LLMs in continuous improvement cycle. LLM-based supervisor agents can be employed at each step of the continuous improvement cycle. The cycle involves evaluating print quality, identifying failure modes, gathering relevant information, and planning and solving the issues by adjusting the print parameters, ensuring high-quality defect-free parts. Credit: Additive Manufacturing (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.addma.2025.105027

    Additive manufacturing has revolutionized manufacturing by enabling customized, cost-effective products with minimal waste. However, with the majority of 3D printers operating on open-loop systems, they are notoriously prone to failure...

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    A student made cosmic dust in her lab—what she found could help us understand how life started on Earth

    February 4, 2026, Categories  Physics, Technology/Electronics

    This student made cosmic dust in her lab—what she found could help us understand how life started on Earth
    Cosmic dust swirling around the Helix nebula, ejected from an ageing star similar to the sun. Credit: NASA

    A Sydney Ph.D. student has recreated a tiny piece of the universe inside a bottle in her laboratory, producing cosmic dust from scratch. The results shed new light on how the chemical building blocks of life may have formed long before Earth existed. Linda Losurdo, a Ph.D. candidate in materials and plasma physics in the School of Physics, used a simple mix of gases—nitrogen, carbon dioxide and acetylene—to mimic the harsh and dynamic environments around stars and supernova remnants.

    By subjecting these gases to intense electrical energy, she generated carbon-rich “cosmic dust” similar to the material found drifting between stars and embedded in comets, asteroids and meteor...

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