The news that he had won the 2026 Croucher Tak Wah Mak Innovation Award was “almost hard to believe,” says Prof. WANG Jue from HKUST’s Department of Physics.
Prof. Wang says the award “carries a special meaning” and seems “almost like an angel investment” because it presents him with greater freedom “to build new experimental platforms and explore ambitious directions.”
This research drive is directed at exploring how light can be used to create and control quantum states in ultra-thin materials for future electronic and information technologies.
He uses super-fast flashes of light to create, control, and observe special quantum states that don't normally appear. He combines several approaches: shining ultrafast laser pulses, building tiny electronic devices, measuring electrical signals, and working at very cold temperatures.
His goal is twofold: to uncover these fleeting quantum effects and to develop new ways to track and control them in real time.
Why does this matter? Understanding how quantum particles behave in these ultra-thin materials could help create faster, more efficient electronics and pave the way for advanced technologies such as quantum computers.
“I hope my approach can lay important groundwork for future technologies based on more efficient electronics and optoelectronics, new ways of processing information, and devices capable of operating in extreme environments,” he says.
