In collaboration with colleagues, experimental and theoretical physicists from Heinrich Heine University (HHU) Düsseldorf and Forschungszentrum Jülich have gained important insights into laser–plasma accelerator technology. As they report in two papers published in Reports on Progress in Physics and High Power Laser Science and Engineering, the polarization state of accelerated particles is preserved during this process. This finding is significant for a range of applications, including controlled nuclear fusion.

A physics-inspired model calibrated on 40 years of US congressional data pinpoints a spending threshold of roughly 1.8 million USD at which campaigns stop influencing who wins and start fueling polarization instead.

Quantum internet 

Researchers at the Niels Bohr Institute have broken a long standing barrier by managing to send single photons - that can’t be copied or split and thus are secure - in the network of optical fibers we already have. This opens up a broad range of applications relying on secure Quantum information.

Photreon, a start-up project at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), aims to boost the hydrogen economy with mass-produced photoreactor panels that require no electrolyzers, consume no electricity, and do not need a grid connection. With the panels, hydrogen can be produced cost-effectively in a scalable manner from sunlight and water – suitable for both distributed applications and large-scale systems in sunny regions. During the Hannover Messe, April 20–24, 2026, photreon will be presenting at the KIT booth (Hall 11, Booth B06).

Conventional spontaneous Raman spectroscopy of interfacial molecules typically requires plasmonic or electronic enhancement, limiting accessible systems. A nonlinear coherent Raman method now enables direct, high sensitivity detection without such requirements. A time-frequency engineered optical design suppressed strong substrate background signals by four orders of magnitude, allowing Raman detection of ångström scale ultrathin interfacial molecular layers. This method opens new opportunities for real-time operando observations in electrochemistry, catalysis, adhesion, and molecular devices.

Two-year collaboration with CQT to develop and implement novel quantum algorithms for molecular discovery

Partnership will use Quantinuum H2 and Helios quantum computers to test key quantum chemistry algorithms

First successful implementation results released

A systematic approach to physically synthesized data generation and its application is proposed for automatic visual inspection of aerospace alloys with complex geometries. Furthermore, the underlying reason why this approach significantly improves defect segmentation accuracy is revealed.