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    "story_id": "mp-2026-07-13-002",
    "source_story_id": "tmp-feature-pixel-addressable-infrared-metasurface",
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    "headline": "Thirty-Six Pixels Bend Invisible Light",
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    "dek": "A 6-by-6 phase-change metasurface gave every microscopic pixel independent control of mid-infrared light through a scalable crossbar circuit.",
    "summary": "A 6-by-6 phase-change metasurface gave every microscopic pixel independent control of mid-infrared light through a scalable crossbar circuit.",
    "body_text": "MIT researchers built a chip-scale spatial light modulator whose microscopic pixels can independently reshape mid-infrared light. Two perpendicular copper-wire layers address a 6-by-6 array; doped silicon heats phase-change material at selected crossings, switching each pixel between optical states without moving parts. The Nature Communications study demonstrates pixel-level control and reliable switching in a lab device made largely with conventional semiconductor processes. Millions of pixels remain an engineering goal, but the crossbar architecture offers a credible path toward compact gas sensors, thermal imagers, pollution monitors, and optical-computing components.",
    "why_it_matters": "A 6-by-6 phase-change metasurface gave every microscopic pixel independent control of mid-infrared light through a scalable crossbar circuit.",
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      "Millions of pixels remain an engineering goal, but the crossbar architecture offers a credible path toward compact gas sensors, thermal imagers, pollution monitors, and optical-computing components."
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    "first_published_at": "2026-07-13T09:00:00.000-04:00",
    "modified_at": "2026-07-13T13:08:06.310-04:00",
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        "text": "A 6-by-6 phase-change metasurface gave every microscopic pixel independent control of mid-infrared light through a scalable crossbar circuit.",
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        "qualification": "Millions of pixels remain an engineering goal, but the crossbar architecture offers a credible path toward compact gas sensors, thermal imagers, pollution monitors, and optical-computing components."
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    "tags": [
      "metasurface",
      "infrared",
      "photonics",
      "semiconductors"
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    {
      "source_id": "source-2026-07-13-002",
      "title": "MIT News: Pixel-addressable infrared metasurface",
      "publisher": "MIT News",
      "url": "https://news.mit.edu/2026/tiny-infrared-chip-could-improve-gas-and-heat-detection-0713",
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      "published_at": "2026-07-12T20:00:00.000-04:00",
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    "name": "The Machine Press",
    "url": "https://themachinepress.com",
    "description": "A daily newspaper for the age of artificial intelligence."
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  "cite_this_report": {
    "title": "Thirty-Six Pixels Bend Invisible Light",
    "publisher": "The Machine Press",
    "published_at": "2026-07-13T09:00:00.000-04:00",
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