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TDLI Newsletter
2025 Winter
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TDLI Holds 2025 General Meeting and Leadership Performance Review Meeting
On January 4, 2026, the Tsung-Dao Lee Institute (TDLI) convened its 2025 Institute-wide General Meeting and Leadership Performance Review Meeting. Marking a new starting point after its first decade of development, the meeting reviewed major achievements over the past year and outlined strategic priorities for the future. Members of the leadership team delivered reports on research progress, talent development, institutional governance, and international collaboration, followed by a formal performance evaluation. The assembly brought together faculty, researchers, and staff, fostering shared reflection and collective vision. With a focus on high-level basic research and sustainable growth, TDLI aims to advance toward its next decade with renewed momentum and a clear development blueprint. Read More
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Honoring the Master | Tsung-Dao Lee Centennial Commemoration Held at SJTU
On November 22, 2025, Shanghai Jiao Tong University hosted the Tsung-Dao Lee Centennial Commemoration at TDLI. Hundreds of scholars, educators, and students gathered to pay tribute to the Nobel Laureate’s extraordinary scientific achievements, educational legacy, and enduring influence. Jointly organized with top Chinese universities and scientific societies, the event reflected profound respect for Professor Lee’s contributions to physics and science education. Read More
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TDLI Hosts 2025 International Academic Advisory Committee Meeting
TDLI convened its 2025 International Academic Advisory Committee meeting in Shanghai on November 18–19, bringing together globally renowned scientists to review the institute’s progress and advise on strategic development. The committee strengthened international academic exchange, provided expert evaluation of research directions, and supported TDLI’s mission to advance fundamental science and global collaboration. Read More
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2025 Pujiang Innovation Forum Physics and Astronomu Sub-Forum Held at TDLI
On November 20, the 2025 Pujiang Innovation Forum Physics and Astronomy Sub-Forum was successfully convened at TDLI. Guided by the Shanghai Municipal Science and Technology Commission and the People's Government of Pudong New Area, and jointly organized by TDLI, the School of Physics and Astronomy at Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU), and the State Key Laboratory of Dark Matter Physics, the forum was themed "In Honor of Prof. Tsung-Dao Lee – When the Largest Meets the Smallest." It facilitated in-depth discussions on cutting-edge topics in physics and astronomy, aiming to carry forward the scientific spirit, stimulate innovative thinking, and promote interdisciplinary integration. Participants including experts and scholars from domestic and international institutions, representatives from collaborating organizations, and faculty and students of TDLI, gathered to explore the mysteries of the universe together. Read More
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From Sky to Earth to Sea: TDLI Scientists at the Frontiers of Fundamental Research
On November 11, scientists from TDLI at Shanghai Jiao Tong University shared their frontier research at a science-themed report session held at TDLI. Led by Academician Jie Zhang, TDLI researchers presented major advances in underground dark matter detection, deep-sea neutrino astronomy, high-altitude optical spectroscopy, and muon physics. Through first-hand accounts, TDLI scientists highlighted their long-term commitment to exploring fundamental questions under extreme conditions—deep underground, in the deep ocean, and at high altitudes—demonstrating TDLI’s role as a global hub for interdisciplinary and internationally connected basic research. Read More
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10 TDLI Scholars Selected for Pudong “Pearl Program”
Ten scholars from TDLI have been selected for the Pudong New Area Pearl Program, a key talent initiative supporting high-level innovation. This recognition reflects TDLI’s strong research capacity and its continued commitment to cultivating outstanding scientific talent and advancing excellence in fundamental research. Read More
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TDLI Scholar Qingdong Jiang Receives “Kaiyuan” Top Ten Teacher Nomination at SJTU
On December 17, Shanghai Jiao Tong University held the final review meeting of the 15th “Kaiyuan” Top Ten Teachers Awards, honoring excellence in teaching and mentorship. Qingdong Jiang, Tenure-track Associate Professor at TDLI, received a Nomination Award, becoming the first TDLI faculty member to be nominated for this prestigious teaching honor. Read More
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TDLI Scholars Honored at SJTU Ruiyuan Science Awards Night
At the 2025 Ruiyuan Science Awards Ceremony held on November 27 at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, TDLI Chair Professors Jinfeng Jia and Hong Ding received the Ruiyuan Science Award in Mathematics and Physical Sciences. Donglian Xu, a tenured scholar at TDLI, and Platform Fellow Xinliang Tian were honored with the Ruiyuan Young Scientist Awards in Mathematics and Physical Sciences, and in Ocean Engineering and Marine Science, respectively. Read More
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15 TDLI Postdocs Selected for Shanghai “Super Postdoc” Program
The 2025 Shanghai “Super Postdoctoral Fellowship Program” results have been officially announced. TDLI achieved outstanding results, with 15 postdoctoral researchers selected. This recognition highlights TDLI’s strong pipeline of early-career talent and its excellence in cultivating young researchers in frontier scientific fields. Read More
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No.28 T. D. Lee Colloquium by Academician Gang Zhao
On October 16, Academician Gang Zhao from the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (NAOC) was invited to visit TDLI and delivered the 28th T. D. Lee Colloquium entitled “Searching for the very massive first stars”. Director of TDLI, Academician Jie Zhang, deputy director, Professor Xiaohu Yang, and Chair Professor Xiaogang He and Dong Lai, along with over 40 students, postdocs, and faculty members have attended the colloquium onsite. The colloquium was chaired by Academician Jie Zhang. Read More
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No.29 T. D. Lee Colloquium by Academician Lei Jiang
On December 1, Academician Lei Jiang from the Suzhou Institute of Advanced Research, University of Science and Technology of China, delivered the 29th Tsung-Dao Lee Lecture, titled “From Biomimetic Superwettability to Bio-Inspired Ultra-Low-Energy Processes at the Ion/Molecular Quantum Level.” Hosted by TDLI Vice Director Ding Hong, the lecture attracted over 40 onsite participants and more than 3,300 online views via live streaming. Read More
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Future Science Prize and SJTU Jointly Host “Novel Particles in Solid Universes” Lecture
On October 17, TDLI at Shanghai Jiao Tong University hosted a high-level academic lecture on “Novel Particles in Solid Universes”, co-organized with the Future Science Prize. Professors Limin Deng, Hong Ding, Ximing Dai, Ady Stern, and other leading scientists presented cutting-edge research on topological states, quasiparticles, and fractional quantum Hall effects. The event attracted over 200 onsite attendees and more than 130,000 online viewers, featuring keynote talks and a roundtable discussion on scientific collaboration, materials innovation, and AI’s role in research. Read More
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International Conference on Exoplanets and Planet Formation Concludes in Shanghai
From December 8th to 12th, 2025, TDLI, was held in Shanghai. Attendees came from 23 countries and regions, representing leading global institutions such as Princeton University, MIT, Yale University, Caltech, UC Berkeley, Columbia University, Cambridge University, Oxford University, King’s College London, the University of Toronto, the University of Tokyo, the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, the Paris Observatory, the Nice Observatory, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tsinghua University, Peking University, and Nanjing University, among other top-tier domestic and international universities and research institutes. The total number of participants exceeded 300, with approximately 60% coming from overseas, making it one of the foremost international gatherings in exoplanetary science. Read More
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Workshops and Conferences
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Condensed Matter Physics Workshop held at TDLI
From October 16 to 17, 2025, a joint Condensed Matter Physics Workshop co-organized by the Tsung-Dao Lee Institute (TDLI) and the Weizmann Institute of Science was successfully held at TDLI. The event attracted nearly 60 participants from both institutions, including faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and graduate students, who held multidimensional and substantive discussions on the latest advances in condensed matter physics and related fields. Read More
- The 2025 Shanghai Symposium on Particle Physics and Cosmology (SPCS 2025) Successfully Held at TDLI
From October 10 to 12, 2025, the 2025 Shanghai Symposium on Particle Physics and Cosmology (SPCS 2025), themed “Precision Higgs Factory Physics: Theory Meets Experiments," was successfully held at TDLI, with support from State Key Lab of Dark Matter Physics. Read More
- School on Stellar Physics and Environment at Multi-TeV Successfully Held at TDLI
Recently, the School on Stellar Physics and Environment at Multi-TeV was successfully held at TDLI. The event was organized by Prof. Hao Zhou and Prof. Gwenael from TDLI and Prof. Jian Li from USTC, and brought together experts, scholars, and students from related fields both in China and abroad. The school provided a platform for systematic and in-depth academic exchange on frontier topics in very-high-energy astrophysics. Read More
- The 3rd Shanghai Assembly on Cosmology and Structure Formation Held at TDLI
Nov 17-21, 130 global scientists gathered at SJTU’s TDLI for the 3rd Shanghai Assembly on Cosmology and Structure Formation. Talks and posters probed dark matter, galaxy evolution, DESI/KiDS data, and upcoming Chinese and Euclid telescopes, cementing the biennial meeting as a launchpad for precise-cosmology talent. Read More
- The First Workshop on SHINE Muon Source and Its Applications (SMS 2025) Successfully Held at TDLI
On November 28, 2025, the First Workshop on SHINE Muon Source and Its Applications (SMS 2025) was successfully convened at TDLI. The event was co-hosted by TDLI, the Shanghai Advanced Research Institute (SARI) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), and ShanghaiTech University. Read More
- SJTU Charts “Physics-II” Roadmap at TDLI
On 23 Dec 2025, twenty top physicists gathered at TDLI to draft a five-year strategic plan for SJTU’s second physics discipline, targeting talent pipelines, cross-disciplinary labs and frontier projects in high-energy, astro- and quantum physics. Read More
- TDLI Hosts 2025 Winter Postdoc Mini-Symposium
Recently, Particle and Nuclear Division of TDLI successfully held a Winter Postdoctoral Mini-Symposium. Centered on the postdoctoral research community, the symposium aimed to provide a high-quality platform for presenting research progress, exchanging academic ideas, and exploring future directions. More than 40 faculty members, postdoctoral researchers, and students from the institute participated in the event. Read More
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Do super-Jupiters look like Jupiter? Not necessarily.
Recently, an article titled "Large-amplitude Variability Driven by Giant Dust Storms on a Planetary-mass Companion" was published in Science Advances by Prof. Tan Xianyu from the Tsung-Dao Lee Institute at Shanghai Jiao Tong University and collaborators, including Prof. Zhang Xi from the University of California, Santa Cruz. This study reveals that the super-Jupiter possesses an atmospheric circulation fundamentally different from that of Jupiter. Read More
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Major Progress in China’s Deep-Sea Neutrino Detection — “Spider System” Completes Sea Trials
China has achieved a significant breakthrough in deep-sea neutrino detection technology with the successful completion of full-function sea trials of the flexible precision deployment device “Spider System” (SPIDER), independently developed by Shanghai Jiao Tong University. The SPIDER system, designed to deploy deep-sea neutrino detector strings with high precision, performed a series of complex operations in 1300 m depth seawater, validating its stability and reliability under real ocean conditions. This milestone lays a solid foundation for the “TRIDENT/Hailling Deep-Sea Neutrino Telescope” project, which aims to build a world-class underwater neutrino observatory to explore the origins of cosmic rays and advance multi-messenger astronomy. Read More
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Large moiré superstructure of stacked incommensurate charge density waves
A research team led by Associate Professor Baiqing Lv at the Tsung-Dao Lee Institute, School of Physics and Astronomy, and Zhangjiang Institute for Advanced Study, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, has made an important breakthrough in understanding stacking incommensurate orders. In collaboration with Prof. Nuh Gedik (MIT), Prof. Nanlin Wang (Peking University), Prof. Alfred Zong (Stanford University), Prof. Dong Wu (BAQIS), Prof. Sheng Meng (Institute of Physics, CAS), Prof. Jacob P. C. Ruff (Cornell University), Dr. Yifan Su (Columbia University) and others, the team has extended the moiré platform to bulk materials with intrinsic stacks of incommensurate orders (Fig. 1) and report a large hysteretic moiré superstructure in a quasi-2D charge density wave (CDW) material, EuTe4. The paper has been recently published in Nature Materials. Read More
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Unlocking Exotic Matter with a Simple "Box": How Vacuum Fluctuations Create Chiral Spin Liquids
How do you melt a solid? The everyday answer is simple—heat it. Heating increases thermal fluctuations, shaking atoms out of their orderly arrangement and driving the transition from solid to liquid. But nature hosts another, more subtle kind of fluctuation: quantum fluctuations. These persist even at absolute zero and can also melt a solid. A striking example is liquid helium, which remains fluid at zero temperature precisely because its quantum fluctuations are so strong.
In a new study published in Physical Review Letters, a research team led by tenure-track fellow, associate professor Qing-Dong Jiang from Tsung-Dao Lee Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University presents a fundamentally new way to harness these vacuum quantum fluctuations. Their work demonstrates that simply placing a Kagome lattice inside a specially designed optical cavity can stabilize an exotic topological quantum liquid—the elusive chiral spin liquid. Read More
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Subgiants in NGC 188 reveal that rotationally induced mixing creates the main sequence Li-Dip
A research team led by Dr. Qinghui Sun, Associate Scientist at TDLI, in collaboration with Prof. Constantine P. Deliyannis (Indiana University), Prof. Barbara J. Anthony-Twarog and Prof. Bruce A. Twarog (University of Kansas), and Dr. Xiao-Tian Xu (Nanjing University), has made an important breakthrough in understanding lithium depletion in stars.
They show that rotationally induced mixing driven by angular momentum loss is the unique physical mechanism that creates the well-known “Li-Dip” in mid-F main-sequence stars.
The study, titled “Subgiants in NGC 188 Reveal that Rotationally Induced Mixing Creates the Main Sequence Li-Dip”, has been published in Nature Communications. Read More
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Fun on the Court! TDLI Holds Its First Badminton Friendship Tournament
On November 15, TDLI served up some serious fun at its first Badminton Friendship Tournament at the Zhangjiang Science Park Sports Center. With six teams and over 80 faculty and students smashing, serving, and cheering, the event was full of energy and laughter. Hosted by TDLI Youth League Vice Secretary Jingtao Huang, and supported by institute leaders and friends, the tournament brought the TDLI community together for a day of sport, camaraderie, and smiles. Read More
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TDLI PhD Student Samy Kaci Wins SJTU “International Student Star” Award
On the evening of November 10, the 2025 Shanghai Jiao Tong University “International Student Star” final review and awards ceremony was held at the Student Center, Minhang Campus. Samy Kaci, a 2022 PhD student at TDLI, was recognized for his outstanding achievements and selected as one of five “International Student Stars” across the university. Read More
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“Xundao” Hiking Event Brings TDLI Students Together
On October 25, the TDLI Graduate Student Council hosted the “Xundao” hiking activity, with 50+ students from multiple universities. Over 10 kilometers, participants enjoyed scenic trails, fun icebreakers, and local treats, while discussing research topics along the way. The event combined nature, friendship, and learning, offering relaxation, cross-campus connections, and a joyful escape from the lab. Read More
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Congratulations to Akhil Uniyal on SJTU “Academic Star” Nomination
Congratulations to Akhil Uniyal, PhD candidate at the Tsung-Dao Lee Institute (TDLI), for receiving a Nomination Award in the 10th Shanghai Jiao Tong University Graduate “Academic Star” competition. The award recognizes his outstanding academic achievements and contributions to research excellence among a highly competitive cohort of graduate scholars. Read More
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Historic First Gold for Five-Institute Choir at SJTU “Dec. 9” Choral Festival
At the 2025 SJTU “Dec. 9” Faculty and Student Choral Festival, the joint choir of the Schools of Mathematics, Physics and Astronomy, Education, TDLI, and ZIAS won Gold Prize and Best Organization Award with the song Rainbow. It marked the alliance’s first gold medal in the event’s history. Read More
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International media spotlight: SJTU Students Tracing the Origins of the Interstellar Visitor 3I/ATLAS
Humanity has long dreamed of venturing beyond the solar system to explore the cosmos. Yet even the fastest spacecraft ever launched—Voyager 1—has not crossed the Oort Cloud, let alone truly escaped the Sun’s gravitational influence. Amazingly, however, three interstellar objects have already visited our solar system, the most recent being 3I/ATLAS, discovered on July 1, 2025, by the ATLAS telescope team. Studying such “messengers from beyond” offers a rare glimpse into the nature of other planetary systems. Read More
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Two TDLI PhD Students Selected for CAST Young Talent Program
Two PhD students from TDLI, Mingyuan Zhang and Xufan Hu, have been selected for the 2025 China Association for Science and Technology (CAST) Young Scientific Talent Development Program (Doctoral Track). Their selection recognizes outstanding research achievements in astrophysics and highlights TDLI’s strong commitment to nurturing young scientific talent. Read More
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Editor: 汪雯 Wen Wang (wang.wen@sjtu.edu.cn)
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