UMD Breakthrough Named Amongst Physics World’s Top 10 of the Year

A University of Maryland advance in electron microscopy, a materials imaging technique, was named amongst Physics World’s Top 10 Breakthroughs of the Year for 2025. This honor recognizes discoveries worldwide that are judged to redefine the boundaries of physics, placing this advance among the most transformative achievements of the year.

The honor highlights the breakthrough of Yichao Zhang, an assistant professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering who served as the lead author of a paper reporting the highest-resolution image ever captured of a single atom. Her pioneering work has been recognized among this year’s most significant advances in physics, standing alongside landmark discoveries across the field.

“Being recognized by Physics World is an incredible honor,” said Zhang. “This technique goes beyond atomic‑resolution imaging, and has revealed a hidden branch of physics once thought impossible to observe.”

Zhang’s advance was achieved using “electron ptychography,” which reached a resolution of 15 picometers—about 10 times smaller than the size of a typical atom. This breakthrough enabled researchers to directly visualize collective vibrations called “moiré phasons” for the first time, with the results published in Science earlier in July.

“Moiré phasons” are ultralow-frequency collective vibrations that arise when two atom-thin sheets are stacked and slightly rotated. By shaping how these materials conduct electricity and heat, moiré phasons are critical to next-generation quantum and electronic devices.

The breakthrough, which confirmed the longstanding theoretical predictions of moiré phasons, also demonstrated that “electron ptychography” could be used to map thermal vibrations with atomic precision for the first time. Zhang’s research group will now extend the technique to study how thermal vibrations change near defects and interfaces, paving the way for devices with tailored thermal and electronic properties.

Zhang’s breakthrough was selected by the magazine’s editorial team for significantly advancing knowledge, demonstrating clear importance to both scientific progress and real-world applications, and resonating with Physics World readers.

“Electron microscopy forms the backbone of almost every materials science endeavor, enabling this method the potential to take our field to the next level,” said Ichiro Takeuchi, chair of the MSE department. “I can’t wait to see what Zhang will do next with this technique.”

Published December 15, 2025