Researchers use atomically thin materials—1/100,000 the size of a human hair—to manipulate the phase of light without changing its amplitude, at extremely low power loss.

The new exfoliation method makes large-area atomically thin layers that can be stacked in any desired order and orientation to generate a whole new class of artificial materials.

The findings shed new light on the nature of electron interactions in quantum systems and establish a potential new platform for future quantum computers.

The prestigious award supports top-tier researchers at U.S. universities whose work is of strategic importance to the Department of Defense.

Nava Ariel-Sternberg is director of the shared laboratory facilities of the Columbia Nano Initiative, which brings together more than 100 research groups who collaborate on new materials, methods, and procedures to propel the promise of nanotechnology into the world.