Materials Research Laboratory: Driving interdisciplinary materials research at MIT
The MRL helps bring together academia, government, and industry to accelerate innovation in sustainability, energy, and advanced materials.
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New laser “comb” can enable rapid identification of chemicals with extreme precision
The ultrabroadband infrared frequency comb could be used for chemical detection in portable spectrometers or high-resolution remote sensors.
Professor John Joannopoulos, photonics pioneer and Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies director, dies at 78
Over 50 years at MIT, the condensed-matter physicist led the development of photonic crystals, translating discoveries into wide-ranging applications in energy, medicine, and defense.
MIT gears up to transform manufacturing
The Initiative for New Manufacturing is convening experts across the Institute to drive a transformation of production across the U.S. and the world.
Surprisingly diverse innovations led to dramatically cheaper solar panels
New research can identify opportunities to drive down the cost of renewable energy systems, batteries, and many other technologies.
Professor Emeritus Peter Temin, influential and prolific economic historian, dies at 87
The longtime MIT scholar and former department head used the tools of economics to shed new light on historical events and their profound implications for today’s society.
Ultrasmall optical devices rewrite the rules of light manipulation
Nanophotonic devices developed at MIT are compact, efficient, reprogrammable, adaptive, and able to dynamically respond to external inputs.
“FUTURE PHASES” showcases new frontiers in music technology and interactive performance
Groundbreaking MIT concert, featuring electronic and computer-generated music, was a part of the 2025 International Computer Music Conference.
Famous double-slit experiment holds up when stripped to its quantum essentials
MIT physicists confirm that, like Superman, light has two identities that are impossible to see at once.
Astronomers discover star-shredding black holes hiding in dusty galaxies
Unlike active galaxies that constantly pull in surrounding material, these black holes lie dormant, waking briefly to feast on a passing star.
Theory-guided strategy expands the scope of measurable quantum interactions
An oft-ignored effect can be used to probe an important property of semiconductors, a new study finds.
Professor Emeritus Keith Johnson, pioneering theorist in materials science and independent filmmaker, dies at 89
Longtime MIT solid-state physicist brought theoretical insights to an experiment-driven discipline — and later, to film.
Professor Emeritus Daniel Kleppner, highly influential atomic physicist, dies at 92
The “godfather of Bose-Einstein condensation” and MIT faculty member for 37 years led research into atomic, molecular, and optical physics that led to GPS and quantum computing.
AI shapes autonomous underwater “gliders”
An AI pipeline developed by CSAIL researchers enables unique hydrodynamic designs for bodyboard-sized vehicles that glide underwater and could help scientists gather marine data.
At MIT, musicians make new tools for new tunes
From the classroom to expanding research opportunities, students at MIT Music Technology use design to push the frontier of digital instruments and software for human expression and empowerment.