The award will support the development of new methods that will allow for the manipulation of material systems in real time and the mapping of behavior of these materials with a degree of precision that has not been possible.

The award committee noted that Basov had made "seminal discoveries in quantum material physics through infrared spectroscopy and nano-optics."

Researchers from Columbia University, Shanghai Normal University, and the University of Copenhagen have synthesized the first molecule capable of insulating at the nanometer scale more effectively than a vacuum barrier.

The team is the first to directly image propagation and dynamics of graphene plasmons at very low temperatures; their findings could impact optical communications and signal processing.

Fibers produced by the caterpillars of a wild silk moth have outstanding cooling properties, as well as exceptional capabilities for transmitting light signals and images.