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An international team led by the University of Oxford demonstrated for the first time that coherent harmonic focus from a plasma mirror can operate at its maximum predicted conversion efficiency, paving the way for all-optical quantum electrodynamics studies. The team produced 9.5 millijoules of coherent ultraviolet light between the 12th and 47th harmonics, matching previous theoretical predictions.

“[I]t feels like we are just getting started in terms of understanding the rich and complex physics of this mechanism. The simulations suggest that we may have made the most intense source of coherent light ever,” said Oxford’s Robin Timmis.

This work was published in Nature.

The laser is focused on a target, the reflected purple beam forms a coherent harmonic focus of extreme intensity that generates matter from light. Photos of the interaction are combined with an artist’s interpretation of the CHF. Image from the Nature paper.

A team led by Penn State physicists completed the most precise calculations of the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon ever completed — and effectively closed the door on what had long been a considered a possible gap in the Standard Model of physics. The calculations agree with theory to within a half a standard deviation.

“We applied a new method to calculate this discrepancy quantity, and we showed that it’s not there. This new interaction we hoped for simply is not there. The old interactions can explain the value completely,” Penn State’s Zoltan Fodor said.

“People ask me how it feels to make this discovery and, to be honest, I feel somewhat sad. When we started to calculate this quantity, we thought we were going to have a good and trustworthy calculation for a new fifth force. Instead, we found there is no fifth force. We did find a very precise proof of not just the Standard Model, but also of quantum field theory.”

This work was published in Nature.

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MIT researchers demonstrated a microchip capable of implementing post-quantum cryptography techniques in wireless medical devices like pacemakers. The device is about the size of the tip of a needle and more than an order of magnitude more energy-efficient than prior similar designs.

This work was presented at the 2026 IEEE Custom Integrated Circuits Conference.

Quantum Campus is edited by Bill Bell, a science writer and marketing consultant who has covered physics and high-performance computing for more than 25 years. Disclosure statement.