About this Research Topic

Background

Quantum technologies (QTs), and the basic quantum science (QS) they build on, are at the center of stage of science and humanities, owing to their potential - and to a certain extent actual - capability to revolutionize our daily lives with respect to our way of thinking. This interest is also driven by the strangeness of quantum mechanics, developing human capacity, community-based living, and ethical considerations, alongside the shift to entirely novel economies and job markets. Examples include; the environmentally safe and sustainable development of batteries exhibiting increased efficiency, the development of materials to effectively absorb and convert carbon dioxide, and the development of fertilizers exhibiting increased efficiency and reduced environmental impact. Additional developments include; molecular engineering for personalized medicines, conceptually novel communications, and the mitigation/solution of complex-network problems pertaining to logistics, finance, artificial intelligence, and even the brain. Each of the fields within the hard sciences, as well as the, philosophical, economical, juridical, social, and policy-making sciences are affected by these developments, while trillions of dollars are invested by public bodies and companies. As a consequence, the six Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) dimensions are crossed.

In this scenario of global movements with significant ramifications, there emerges the fundamental requirement to uplift the citizens culture and awareness and also to prepare a workforce suited to the new ecosystem. An exciting opportunity is thus presented for the far-reaching education on elementary quantum science and more complex quantum technologies. This should encompass a holistic RRI approach, where all the six dimensions are involved; gender, open access, science education, public engagement, governance, and ethics.

However, educating the general public in QS presents a formidable challenge, owing to severe limitations in the experimental, creative, and mathematical literacies ordinarily required in scientific thinking. In the case of QS and QTs, these limitations become significant hampers. Education and outreach in both QS and QTs then risks becoming a bare transmission of historical facts and scientific factoids using often misleading analogies, with no fundamental understanding nor education to scientific thinking. Therefore, the development of a research-based approach to outreach is required, which we might call Physics Outreach Research (POR).

While dedicated programs are being developed in Europe, such as the QTEdu-Quantum Flagship model, several questions remain unanswered in countries such as the USA, China, Japan, and India. In this Research Topic we would like to address these as follows:

- How to effectively engage learners and support teaching/learning environments in QS and QTs, with the rigorous application of scientific thinking processes.
- Can efforts in outreaching in both QTs and on QS be mutually beneficial?
- How to develop research approaches to facilitate outreach (POR)? Can POR and Physics Education Research (PER) in QS mutually benefit from one another? Is there an intersection between content and methodology?

We thus seek the submission of manuscripts addressing:

- QTs outreach activity overviews, elementary QS ideas, or both, presenting educational paths and an assessment of their value.
- Proposals of outreach paths, grounded on theoretical frameworks.
- Elaborations on the theoretical frameworks for POR.
- Experiences in combining PER and POR.

Manuscripts can be of variable length including, short or long research articles, as well as short reviews.

Keywords: Quantum science, Quantum technologies, Physics Education Research, Physics Outreach Research, Outreach

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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