A breakthrough in manipulating dark excitons could pave the way for next-generation quantum communication systems and ultra-compact photonic devices.
A research group from the City University of New York and the University of Texas at Austin has developed a method to illuminate light states that were once undetectable, known as dark excitons, and to direct their emission with nanoscale precision. The results, reported today in Nature Photonics, point toward future technologies that could operate more quickly, take up less space, and use far less energy.
Dark excitons are unusual light-matter states found in extremely thin semiconductor materials. They normally escape detection because they release light only faintly. Despite this, they are considered valuable for quantum information science and next-generation photonics because they interact with light in distinctive ways, persist for long periods, and are less affected by environmental noise, which reduces decoherence.
Engineering Light at the Nanoscale
To uncover these hidden states, the researchers built a nanoscale optical cavity that combined gold nanotubes with a single sheet of tungsten diselenide (WSe₂), a material just three atoms thick. This structure boosted the light emitted by dark excitons by about 300,000 times, allowing the team to both observe them clearly and control their behavior.
“This work shows that we can access and manipulate light-matter states that were previously out of reach,” said the study’s principal investigator Andrea Alù, who is a Distinguished and Einstein Professor of Physics at the CUNY Graduate Center and founding director of the Photonics Initiative at the Advanced Science Research Center at the CUNY Graduate Center (CUNY ASRC). “By turning these hidden states on and off at will and controlling them with nanoscale resolution, we open exciting opportunities to disruptively advance next-generation optical and quantum technologies, including for sensing and computing.”
Tuning Quantum States with Precision
The research team also demonstrated that these dark states can be tuned on demand using electric and magnetic fields, enabling precise control for potential applications in on-chip photonics, sensors, and quantum communication. Unlike previous attempts, this approach preserves the material’s natural properties while achieving record-breaking enhancement of light-matter coupling.
“Our study reveals a new family of spin-forbidden dark excitons that had never been observed before,” said Jiamin Quan, first author of the study. “This discovery is just the beginning—it opens a path to explore many other hidden quantum states in 2D materials.”
Resolving a Long-Standing Debate
This discovery also resolves a long-standing debate about whether plasmonic structures can truly enhance dark excitons without altering their nature as they come in close contact. The authors addressed the challenge by carefully designing the plasmonic-excitonic heterostructure using nanometer-thin layers of boron nitride, key to unveil the new dark excitons observed by the team.
Reference: “On-site enhancement and control of spin-forbidden dark excitons in a plasmonic heterostructure” by Jiamin Quan, Michele Cotrufo, Saroj Chand, Xuefeng Jiang, Zhida Liu, Enrique Mejia, Wei Wang, Takashi Taniguchi, Kenji Watanabe, Gabriele Grosso, Xiaoqin Li and Andrea Alù, 12 November 2025, Nature Photonics.
DOI: 10.1038/s41566-025-01788-w
The work was supported by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the Office of Naval Research, and the National Science Foundation.
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4 Comments
It opens a path to explore many other hidden quantum states in 2D materials.
What are the quantum states in 2D materials?
When we pursue the ultimate truth of all things, the space in which our bodies and all things exist may itself be the final and deepest puzzle we need to explore. This is not only the pursuit of physics, but also the most magnificent exploration of the origin of the universe by human reason.
Based on the Topological Vortex Theory (TVT), space is an uniformly incompressible physical entity. Space-time vortices are the products of topological phase transitions of the tipping points in space, are the point defects in spacetime. Point defects do not only impact the thermodynamic properties, but are also central to kinetic processes. They create all things and shape the world through spin and self-organization.
In today’s physics, some so-called peer-reviewed journals—including Physical Review Letters, Nature, Science, and others—stubbornly insist on and promote the following:
1. Even though θ and τ particles exhibit differences in experiments, physics can claim they are the same particle. This is science.
2. Even though topological vortices and antivortices have identical structures and opposite rotational directions, physics can define their structures and directions as entirely different. This is science.
3. Even though two sets of cobalt-60 rotate in opposite directions and experiments reveal asymmetry, physics can still define them as mirror images of each other. This is science.
4. Even though vortex structures are ubiquitous—from cosmic accretion disks to particle spins—physics must insist that vortex structures do not exist and require verification. Only the particles that like God, Demonic, or Angelic are the most fundamental structures of the universe. This is science.
5. Even though everything occupies space and maintains its existence in time, physics must still debate and insist on whether space exists and whether time is a figment of the human mind. This is science.
6. Even though space, with its non-stick, incompressible, and isotropic characteristics, provides a solid foundation for the development of physics, physics must still insist that the ideal fluid properties of space do not exist. This is science.
and go on.
Is this the counterintuitive science they widely promote? Compromising with pseudo academic publications and peer review by pseudo scholars is an insult to science and public intelligence. Some so-called scholars no longer understand what shame is. The study of Topological Vortex Theory (TVT) reminds us that the most profound problems in physics often lie at the intersection of different theories. By exploring these border regions, we can not only resolve contradictions in existing theories but also discover new physical phenomena and application possibilities.
Under the topological vortex architecture, it is highly challenging for even two hydrogen atoms or two quarks to be perfectly symmetrical, let alone counter-rotating two sets of cobalt-60. Contemporary physics and so-called peer-reviewed publications (including Physical Review Letters, Science, Nature, etc.) stubbornly believe that two sets of counter rotating cobalt-60 are two mirror images of each other, constructing a more shocking pseudoscientific theoretical framework in the history of science than the “geocentric model”. This pseudo scientific framework and system have seriously hindered scientific progress and social development.
For nearly a century, physics has been manipulated by this pseudo scientific theoretical system and the interest groups behind it, wasting a lot of manpower, funds, and time. A large amount of pseudo scientific research has been conducted, and countless pseudo scientific papers have been published, causing serious negative impacts on scientific and social progress, as well as humanistic development.
Complexity does not necessarily mean that there is no logical and architectural framework to follow. Mathematics is the language and tool that reveals the motion of spacetime, rather than the motion itself. Although the physical form of spacetime vortices is extremely simple, their interaction patterns are highly complex, and we must develop more and richer mathematical languages to describe and understand them.
The development of the Topological Vortex Theory (TVT) reflects a progression from concrete physical phenomena to abstract mathematical modeling and, ultimately, to interdisciplinary unification.
——Excerpted from https://t.pineal.cn/blogs/4569/An-Overview-of-the-Development-of-Topological-Vortex-Theory-TVT.
A research group from the City University of New York and the University of Texas at Austin has developed a method to illuminate light states that were once undetectable, known as dark excitons, and to direct their emission with nanoscale precision.
VERY GOOD!
Topological Vortex Theory (TVT) proposes a heuristic concept for constructing a “perpetual electric body” based on topological vortex theory, integrating permanent magnets and radioactive elements. We have argued its theoretical possibility, outlined a path for realization, and deeply analyzed the scientific challenges it faces. This concept does not claim to break the laws of thermodynamics but seeks to explore the possibility of using a continuous external energy source (radioactive decay) to maintain a topologically protected, dynamic non-equilibrium state in an open system. It calls for collaboration among materials scientists, physicists, and chemists to open a new research direction at the intersection of topological materials, nuclear physics, and energy science. Ultimately, the value of the pursuit of the “perpetual electric body” may lie not in reaching the destination, but in the deeper understanding of matter and more innovative technologies that this journey itself will catalyze.
—— Excerpted from http://t.pineal.cn/blogs/5137/A-Concept-for-Perpetual-Electric-Body-Based-on-Topological-Vortex.
Based on the topological vortex theory (TVT), each object carries its own current, and the key is how to make it standardized and controllable. The universality and formidable of electric current lie in this.