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    "story_id": "mp-2026-10-28-026",
    "source_story_id": "tmp-story-self-healing-crystal-lasers",
    "edition_id": "mp-2026-10-28-morning-0110",
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    "headline": "A Cracked Laser Crystal Repairs Its Optical Path",
    "slug": "a-cracked-laser-crystal-repairs-its-optical-path",
    "dek": "HDMAC microcrystals healed AFM-induced cracks along two crystal planes while retaining waveguide and resonator behavior needed for lasing studies.",
    "summary": "HDMAC microcrystals healed AFM-induced cracks along two crystal planes while retaining waveguide and resonator behavior needed for lasing studies.",
    "body_text": "Microscopic fractures can end the useful life of organic photonic devices, even when the active material remains chemically intact. This mechanophotonic study uses an atomic-force-microscope cantilever to introduce controlled cracks and complete fractures in HDMAC molecular crystals. The crystals showed self-healing along the (010) and (001) planes, and the researchers evaluated recovery through optical loss, resonator behavior and nanomechanical measurements rather than visual closure alone. The healed samples retained waveguiding and resonator properties relevant to lasing. The result concerns one molecular crystal system under laboratory damage and repair; it does not establish self-healing for deployed photonic devices or arbitrary fracture geometries.",
    "why_it_matters": "HDMAC microcrystals healed AFM-induced cracks along two crystal planes while retaining waveguide and resonator behavior needed for lasing studies.",
    "limitations": [
      "The result concerns one molecular crystal system under laboratory damage and repair; it does not establish self-healing for deployed photonic devices or arbitrary fracture geometries."
    ],
    "importance": 8,
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    "first_published_at": "2026-10-28T09:00:00.000-04:00",
    "modified_at": "2026-10-28T09:00:00.000-04:00",
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        "text": "HDMAC microcrystals healed AFM-induced cracks along two crystal planes while retaining waveguide and resonator behavior needed for lasing studies.",
        "source_ids": [
          "source-2026-10-28-015"
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        "qualification": "The result concerns one molecular crystal system under laboratory damage and repair; it does not establish self-healing for deployed photonic devices or arbitrary fracture geometries."
      }
    ],
    "source_ids": [
      "source-2026-10-28-015"
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    "tags": [
      "photonics",
      "self-healing materials",
      "molecular crystals",
      "lasers"
    ],
    "image_url": null,
    "corrections": []
  },
  "sources": [
    {
      "source_id": "source-2026-10-28-015",
      "title": "arXiv preprint 2610.36692, original v1",
      "publisher": "arXiv",
      "url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.36692v1",
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      "source_type": "primary_research",
      "is_primary_source": true,
      "published_at": "2026-10-26T20:00:00.000-04:00",
      "accessed_at": "2026-10-28T08:24:14.982-04:00",
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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": "A Cracked Laser Crystal Repairs Its Optical Path",
    "publisher": "The Machine Press",
    "published_at": "2026-10-28T09:00:00.000-04:00",
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