Just the word “quantum” can make even seasoned science teachers break into a sweat. But a national pilot program led by The University of Texas at Arlington is helping take the mystery out of the subject for students and educators alike. This week, 50 high school students and science teachers gathered at Arlington Martin High School to dive into the topic through Quantum for All, a program launched by Karen Jo Matsler, a professor of practice and master teacher in UT Arlington’s UTeach program. 

Mamyshev oscillators (MOs) can emit high energy pulses using a laser generation technique known as harmonic mode-locking (HML). While MO employing HML has several advanced applications in varied fields, the physics behind their operation is not well-understood. In a recent breakthrough, researchers have examined the light buildup dynamics inside a MO. They found that this process is distinct from conventional pulse splitting effect, widely thought to underlie laser emission in MOs.

Exciplex upconversion-type organic light-emitting devices (ExUC-OLEDs) can emit light at less than half the voltage needed for conventional OLEDs, but their development remained limited by strict requirements for compatible donor and acceptor materials. Now, researchers from Japan have introduced a nanometer-thin spacer layer, boosting blue light output by 77-fold compared to previously incompatible materials. With a greater choice of materials, this design opens doors to energy-efficient OLEDs for a wide range of uses.

Scientists at the University of Oxford have unveiled a pioneering method for capturing the full structure of ultra-intense laser pulses in a single measurement.

The breakthrough, published in close collaboration with Ludwig-Maximilian University of Munich and the Max Planck Institute for Quantum Optics, could revolutionise our ability to control light-matter interactions.

This would have transformative applications in many areas, including research into new forms of physics and realising the extreme intensities required for fusion energy research.