- December 19, 2025
- By Daniela Benites
A University of Maryland advance in electron microscopy was included among Physics World’s Top 10 Breakthroughs of the Year for 2025. The honor recognizes the most important worldwide discoveries that advance scientific progress or lead to real-world applications in fields including astronomy, antimatter, and atomic and molecular physics.
Yichao Zhang, an assistant professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, served as the lead author of a paper published in July in Science that reported the highest-resolution image ever captured of a single atom.
“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.”
Her advance was achieved using a technique known as “electron ptychography,” which reached a resolution of 15 picometers—about 10 times smaller than the size of a typical atom. This enabled researchers for the first time to directly visualize “moiré phasons,” which 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 also demonstrated that electron ptychography could be used to map thermal vibrations with atomic precision for the first time. Zhang’s research group is now working to extend the technique to study how thermal vibrations change near defects and interfaces, paving the way for devices with tailored thermal and electronic properties.
“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, UMD professor and chair of materials science and engineering. “I can’t wait to see what Zhang will do next with this technique.”