Two-photon upconversion is an emerging technique to probe excitonic dark states. Towards high-efficiency upconversion, scientists in China employed a doubly resonant plasmonic nanocavity, achieving 2440-fold enhancement of two-photon luminescence due to improved light collection, magnified excitation rate and increased quantum efficiency. To clarify the physical mechanism, single-resonance-enhanced second-harmonic generation and photoluminescence alongside thermally tuned dual-resonance upconversion are investigated. These results establish a foundation for developing high-performance nonlinear photonic devices and probing fine excitonic states.

The Ig Nobel Prize honors research that first makes people laugh, then makes them think. Its 35th award ceremony possibly also makes people hungry: ISTA physicist Fabrizio Olmeda and colleagues researched the secret of a perfect cacio e pepe pasta sauce. They received the popular award for their findings on Thursday evening in Boston, USA.

The team of Yanxing Jia and Aili Fan from Peking University used the known ( S )-4-tert-butyldimethylsilyloxy-2-cyclopentenone as the starting material, introduced amino and hydroxyl groups through rhodium-catalyzed aziridination/ring-opening reaction, and constructed the [3.2.1] bridged ring skeleton through Prins cyclization reaction. Finally, through the increase of oxidation state and functional group transformation, they achieved the first total synthesis of hemiketal tetrodotoxin (hemiketalTTX) in 23 steps with a total yield of 0.7%, effectively solving the problem of scarce sources of hemiketalTTX. The research results were published in CCS Chemistry as a Communication.

A team of scientists has discovered that the ability of biochar to conduct electricity can significantly affect methane emissions from rice paddies, one of the largest sources of agricultural greenhouse gases worldwide.

The cross-sector Quantum Connected team is working to secure the nation’s information using cutting-edge quantum technologies. An NSF win could bring millions of dollars to the Quantum Prairie and boost national and economic security at a critical time. 

A Rutgers-led team of scientists has uncovered evidence of how galaxies expand by tracing the invisible scaffolding of the universe created by a mysterious substance known as dark matter.

In a newly published study in Astrophysical Journal Letters, researchers used what they said are the largest-ever samples of special galaxies called Lyman-alpha emitters to study how galaxies clumped together over billions of years. In doing so, they gained an improved understanding of how galaxies relate to the surrounding dark matter and how they evolve over time.

Researchers Mitsuyoshi Kamba, Naoki Hara, and Kiyotaka Aikawa of the University of Tokyo have successfully demonstrated quantum squeezing of the motion of a nanoscale particle, a motion whose uncertainty is smaller than that of quantum mechanical fluctuations. As enhancing the measurement precision of sensors is vital in many modern technologies, the achievement paves the way not only for basic research in fundamental physics but also for applications such as accurate autonomous driving and navigation without a GPS signal. The findings were published in the journal Science.