A new variation on an old theme in atomic physics, a spectral distortion known as the Fano effect, has been revealed - not in an atom, but in an artificial nanostructure known as a quantum dot. The Fano effect is a quantum-mechanical interference phenomenon characterized by an asymmetrical broadening of spectral lines that pops up all over the place when certain materials absorb light. In 1981, it was predicted that using light from a strong resonant laser beam would completely alter the spectrum of the Fano effect. That prediction has still not been fulfilled; but on page 311 of this issue, Kroner et al. describe how using a resonant laser beam reveals a Fano effect that had hitherto remained obscured.
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