The week in physics: Oppenheimer in his own words; Second critical point of water

The Week in Physics ADVERTISEMENT Faster Laser Comms with Steering Mirrors Responding to rising data-rate demands, laser-based communication—from ground to satellite and beyond—is unlocking new possibilities. Piezo- and voice-coil drives deliver the speed and precision to stabilize and accurately point laser beams over thousands of miles. See our solution Oppenheimer reflects on his early career Interviews now available to the public bring the famed physicist’s lesser-known early years to life. Ryan Dahn MAY 06, 2026 Experiment closes in on a second critical point of water Precision heating of amorphous ice allows researchers to make tricky measurements of supercooled water. Sarah Wells MAY 07, 2026 Signals through salt: Building machines that use the language of biology Physiological communication relies primarily on ions to carry signals. The emerging field of bioiontronics aims to build engineered devices that can do the same. Yujia Zhang and Hagan Bayley MAY 07, 2026 ADVERTISEMENT New interactive tool: Compare US undergrad programs Built from data provided by departments nationwide, the Undergraduate Program Size Tool from AIP shows where your program fits in the national landscape of undergraduate physics and astronomy. Benchmark faculty size, explore faculty-to-student ratios, or leverage data for strategic planning and more! Use the tool now. From the vault Coffee stains, cell receptors, and time crystals: Lessons from the old literature Perhaps the most important reason to understand the deep history of a field is that it is the right thing to do. Raymond E. Goldstein SEP 01, 2018 arXiv sets out on its own In search of funding and autonomy, the preprint service is launching as a nonprofit. Jenessa Duncombe MAY 08, 2026 Brightness of the night sky is volatile By analyzing daily satellite observations, researchers identified rapid and localized brightness changes caused by human activity. Alex Lopatka MAY 04, 2026 Fluid fingers through the sand Ryan Dahn MAY 07, 2026 ADVERTISEMENT Ultrafast fiber laser: 30 fs now with 3 W HÜBNER Photonics announces a higher power model of the VALO Tidal femtosecond laser. Now available with 3 W, the VALO Tidal delivers pulse durations of typically 30 fs in a compact and robust footprint, making it perfect for multiphoton imaging, broadband terahertz generation, and nonlinear wafer inspection. Post a Job Get Job Alerts Browse All Jobs Postdoc Researcher – Fast in situ tomography for mechanical load experiments Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon (Hamburg (DE)) View Job Team Director (Principal Investigator, Indefinite-term) (25-3619) RIKEN (Japan (JP)) View Job AI Fellow Positions at Korea Institute for Advanced Study KIAS (South Korea) View Job Chief Executive Officer American Astronomical Society (Washington D.C.) View Job Scientist II Jet Propulsion Laboratory (Pasadena, California) View Job Chief Operations Officer Zero Point Cryogenics (Edmonton (City), Alberta (CA)) View Job Physics Today is published by the American Institute of Physics. To manage your AIP email preferences and newsletter subscriptions, click here. Or unsubscribe from all AIP emails. © 2026 American Institute of Physics Physics Today 1 Physics Ellipse College Park, MD 20740 +1 301 209 3100