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From left to right: Nigel Mouncey and Phillip Messersmith A colorful schematic of an exciton surfing on a red and blue wave graph. A yellow and blue isometric view of molecules is below. A white structure with a domed top on a rocky outcrop below a star-filled night sky. The Milky Way stretches vertically in a luminous band. Faint green glow tints the curved horizon. A long-exposure image captures circular star trails above telescope domes illuminated in red light on a dark mountain. A golden glow on the horizon marks distant city lights. The purple/blue solution contains crystals of the berkelocene “sandwich.” Silica nanoparticles affixed with a distribution of polystyrene chains (purple) self-assemble into hexagonal lattices. Depending on how the chains are organized on the particle surface, they tangle together (purple) or unravel (blue) when compressed. Two researchers stand in a laboratory, with one holding the TESSERACT detector with gloved hands. Dozens of droplets clustered together Scientist in protective eyewear adjusts a microscope in a high-tech lab filled with optical and electronic equipment. A recipe for energy efficiency: an optical sensor that also processes data. The transparent dome represents interactions between photons (red and green) and the nanoscale elements on the substrate. Carbon nanotubes with quantum dots (small spheres) are shown connected to CMOS circuitry below. Two smiling people in circular frames on a gradient background. Headshot of Ashfia Huq