I think the primary issue is that there is no perception of technological progress due to physics. Most folks don’t know anything about physics research, they just get excited off of residual space race propaganda that is no longer produced - and the space race itself is over along with the designated cold war enemy.

Physics research makes its way into technology all the time but it ends up being things like faster wireless communication and cooler trains. Folks have no narrative to get them excited about slightly faster internet and the US doesn’t invest in trains. Everyone is reduced to a consumer so the only narrative they get is marketing and half the time they aren’t even the intended customer (enterprise is).

Another aspect of this is that neoliberalism robs everyone of infrastructure, which is where research tends to have the most recognizable impacts. Infrastructure, defined widely, includes transportation (no new trains) and sewers and power plants, as well as healthcare and other community services. Instead of organizing production around creating good public transportation for all or a mass housing project or curing a set of diseases, production is geared towards advertising, monopoly, stripping productive industries for parts, and turning community services into debt creators. In other words, physics could be translated into popular and recognizable engineering practice, but is relegated to the interests of capital instead.