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7 January 2025
Your January 2025 Issue of Physics Today Is Now Available
Hua Liu American Astronomical Society (AAS)
Physics Today, the flagship publication of the American Institute of Physics (AIP), is the most influential and closely followed physics magazine in the world. With authoritative features, full news coverage and analysis, and fresh perspectives on technological advances and groundbreaking research, Physics Today informs readers about science and its role in society. Members of the AAS, an AIP Member Society, automatically receive free print and online subscriptions to the magazine. Physics Today Online, the magazine’s internet home, presents an enhanced digital edition and provides a valuable online archive.
Special Issue: Our Quantum World
Lasers. MRIs. Precision timekeeping. Solar cells. SI units of measure. High-contrast, high-efficiency display devices. Ultraprecise sensors. Optimized drug development. Secure communications. Most of us don’t think about it, but we interact with quantum-enabled devices and applications on a regular basis, and that’s only going to accelerate.
The United Nations has declared 2025 to be the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology (IYQ). The timing is intentional: This year marks a century since what is traditionally considered to be the start of the “new quantum theory.” (We’ll have more about that timing in an upcoming issue of Physics Today.)
The goals of the yearlong event are broader than just recognizing the advances and impact that quantum science and technologies have had. As described in the story by Toni Feder on page 7, the focus will also be on raising awareness — among the public and policymakers — about the importance of quantum science and applications and their potential to help address the world’s most pressing needs.
To kick off Physics Today’s celebration of the IYQ, we present this special archival issue, in which we’ve pulled together several of our most enjoyable and informative quantum pieces. Most readers of Physics Today will have some familiarity with quantum mechanics but not necessarily with the history, the current state of the science, or the central concepts behind some of the most promising applications. We had a wealth of archival content to choose from, and filling those gaps was a prime goal of our selection process.