Carbon nanohoops, or [n]cycloparaphenylenes ([n]CPPs), are ring-shaped molecules with exceptional optical properties but are difficult to synthesize and functionalize. Researchers in Japan have now used a gold-mediated synthetic strategy to construct a hexabrominated [9]CPP derivative, providing a versatile and scalable platform for post-functionalization. Using this scaffold, they created π-extended chiral nanohoops that exhibit extremely high g_lum value in their circularly polarized luminescence, opening new pathways for advanced optoelectronic materials and precisely designed nanocarbon architectures.

Junior-Professor Daqing Wang from the University of Bonn has received a Proof of Concept Grant from the European Research Council (ERC) for his “MinCryo” project. With the grant of 150,000 euros over one year, the physicist will continue to prepare his research results for practical applications in industry. The technical solution developed by him and his team facilitates a wider and more resource-efficient access to cryogenic – extremely cold - optical imaging that combines microscopes with extremely cold temperatures.

Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) has been awarded a new Proof of Concept (PoC) grant by the European Research Council (ERC) in its latest call for the RT-FLOW project, led by Stefano Discetti from the Department of Aerospace Engineering at UC3M. The project aims to transform the way aerodynamic experiments are conducted by enabling near-instantaneous flow field measurements using compact hardware, thereby reducing both the time and cost of these tests.

Three projects by professors and researchers at the Politecnico di Milano have received funding under ERC Proof of Concept grants. PROTECT, by Alessandro Filippo Maria Pellegata (Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering), aims to fill a knowledge gap with respect to drug safety in pregnancy. META-SENSE, conducted by the Department of Physics and coordinated by Margherita Maiuri, aims to develop a nanosensor to detect PFAS. Finally, the goal of the LANTERN project is to develop a method for microchip nanofabrication. It is led by Edoardo Albisetti, a professor in the Department of Physics.

Scientists have introduced the first absolute, contactless thermometry technique based on Brillouin scattering in gases, enabling high-accuracy temperature measurements from room temperature down to deep cryogenic levels. By filling hollow-core fibres with gases such as neon, argon, or helium, the method retrieves temperature directly from the Brillouin frequency shift via the interaction between laser light and acoustic waves, eliminating the need for calibration. The results pave the way for ultra-precise, minimally invasive thermometry in extreme environments.

Conventional laser-assisted transfer technologies often suffer from limited fault tolerance during laser-matter interactions, where even slight laser irradiation deviations reduce transfer accuracy. Scientists from HUST have developed a Self-Aligned Laser Transfer (SALT) technique featuring a thermal-conductivity gradient carbon stamp. This innovative structure converts asymmetric light input into uniform heat output under misaligned laser irradiation, significantly reducing chip transfer errors and enabling high-precision, programmable assembly without requiring precise alignment.

For the first time, researchers have experimentally discovered optical meron-antimeron pairs—a novel class of topological quasiparticles that were originally conceived in particle physics and later found in magnets, but had never been realized in optics. By employing group representation theory, the team not only generated these states in deep-subwavelength plasmonic systems but also established a complete symmetry classification that dictates their topological invariants. This framework reveals a fundamental chirality-parity locking effect and enables the creation of isolated merons. Harnessing the robustness of these symmetry-protected states, the work demonstrates an ultra-sensitive sensing application with a record λ/133 resolution, bridging abstract theory to practical photonic technology.