A PhD student made an unexpected discovery when observing spiral patterns, like microscopic galaxies, on a germanium chip.

The optical rotatum's logarithmic spiral follows a pattern often found in nature ... the utility of light by providing another option for manipulating matter. For example, the light could give ...

Curious about what she saw, Wong examined the sample under a microscope—and was stunned. Hundreds of identical spiral patterns had formed on the surface. The discovery, later analyzed with UCLA ...