Enlargement of the silicon nitride membrane. The colors represent the measured motion of the membrane in the out of plane direction. Red means that part of the membrane moves upward, and blue means that part moves downwards. Credit: Albert Schliesser and Xiang Xi When a drummer hits a drum, the surface vibrates and creates sound—a signal we recognize as music. But once those vibrations stop, the signal disappears. Now imagine a drumhead that’s incredibly thin, only about 10 millimeters wide, and covered in tiny triangular holes. Scientists have created exactly that, and it does something extraordinary. Researchers at the Niels...