The launch addresses a growing divide in quantum publishing. Much of the existing literature focuses on fundamental theory, mathematical models, or highly controlled demonstrations of quantum behavior. While this work remains essential, many researchers are now confronting a different set of challenges: how to manufacture quantum devices reliably, preserve delicate quantum states, integrate optical components, reduce system noise, and operate complex platforms outside specialized research environments. AQP is positioning itself as a venue for studies that examine these practical questions alongside the underlying science, creating a bridge between quantum physics and deployable technology.

Quantum photonics uses individual particles of light, or photons, to generate, transmit, process, and measure quantum information. Unlike classical optical signals, quantum states can encode information through properties such as polarization, phase, arrival time, and path. Photons can also exhibit entanglement, a uniquely quantum correlation that links measurement outcomes even when particles are separated. These characteristics make photonic systems promising for secure communications, precision sensing, quantum computing, and the exchange of information between quantum processors. Yet the same states that give quantum systems their power are often extremely fragile, making the transition from proof-of-concept experiments to stable devices a demanding engineering task.

AQP is seeking contributions that show how quantum research can function in real technological settings. The journal will welcome work involving quantum materials, optical sources, detectors, components, architectures, and complete systems, particularly when studies explain the path from experimental result to implementation. Researchers are encouraged to describe technological context, identify engineering limitations, and discuss the applications their work could ultimately support. Such details may include the efficiency and stability of a photon source, the performance of a single-photon detector, the losses introduced by an optical circuit, or the methods used to control and measure a quantum device with high precision.

The emphasis on implementation reflects the rapid expansion of the quantum technology sector. Quantum communication platforms are being developed to distribute information through quantum states of light, while quantum sensors are being explored for applications ranging from navigation and medical imaging to geological surveys and environmental monitoring. Photonic approaches are also being investigated for quantum computing, where optical elements can generate and manipulate quantum states. In each case, progress depends not only on demonstrating a quantum effect but also on solving practical problems involving fabrication, packaging, calibration, scalability, energy consumption, and compatibility with existing telecommunications or computing infrastructure.

“ We are thrilled to invite the global research community to share their most groundbreaking discoveries in Advanced Quantum Photonics,” said Uriel Levy, the journal’s editor-in-chief. He described the publication as a dedicated platform for work emerging as quantum technologies move from foundational physics toward practical applications. According to Levy, optics and photonics are central to this transition because they provide the tools used to create, control, transmit, and detect quantum states. He also emphasized that SPIE’s peer-review process, international reach, and publishing infrastructure are intended to give authors broad visibility while maintaining rigorous scientific evaluation.

The journal’s scope is also designed to bring different communities into closer contact. Quantum research increasingly involves physicists, optical engineers, materials scientists, computer scientists, electrical engineers, manufacturers, and technology developers. An academic group may develop a new material for producing single photons, while an industrial team may be focused on integrating that material into a compact device. By encouraging contributions from industry as well as universities and national laboratories, AQP aims to highlight the full chain of development, from materials and components to demonstrations that operate under realistic conditions. Each issue is expected to include contributions from the quantum industry, including implementation and application demonstrations.

SPIE’s decision to establish the journal follows the society’s expanding involvement in quantum science and technology. The organization has added Quantum West to the Photonics West program and has also developed Quantum Catalyst, extending its conference activities into a field that is attracting major scientific and commercial investment. These initiatives provide researchers with opportunities to present emerging work, exchange technical knowledge, and build collaborations. AQP is intended to offer a natural publication route for research presented at such events, particularly studies whose focus is practical development rather than purely theoretical analysis.

The journal will also consider proposals for review articles and perspectives that evaluate progress across quantum materials, components, and systems. These contributions are expected to examine not only advances but also limitations, unresolved technical barriers, and opportunities for future research. That perspective could be especially valuable in a field where impressive demonstrations can sometimes obscure the difficulty of achieving repeatable performance at scale. Clear assessments of reliability, error sources, manufacturing constraints, and application requirements may help researchers distinguish between promising laboratory results and technologies ready for wider adoption.

For authors, SPIE is offering open-access publication at no cost during the journal’s first two years, a policy intended to increase the visibility and international circulation of accepted research. Open access allows readers to consult published studies without a subscription, potentially enabling faster exchange among academic groups, companies, policymakers, and the broader public. Manuscripts can be submitted through the SPIE Digital Library, which hosts the society’s journals, conference proceedings, and books. With quantum technologies developing across national and disciplinary boundaries, the new publication is seeking to become a central forum for research that explains not only what quantum devices can do, but also how they can be engineered to work in the real world.

Subject of Research: Applied quantum photonics, including quantum materials, components, systems, implementation challenges, and practical applications.

Article Title: SPIE Opens Submissions for Advanced Quantum Photonics, a New Journal for Applied Quantum Research

News Publication Date: 13 August 2026

Web References: SPIE; Advanced Quantum Photonics; Quantum West; Quantum Catalyst

References: SPIE announcement concerning the launch and submission opening of Advanced Quantum Photonics.

Image Credits: SPIE

Keywords

Quantum photonics, quantum technology, photonics, quantum computing, quantum communication, quantum sensing, quantum materials, optical engineering, SPIE, peer-reviewed journals, open access, applied physics

Traditional quantum networking platforms that utilize atom-like qubits typically function at visible or near-ultraviolet frequencies. To transmit quantum information over long distances, these systems must translate signals into the telecom wavelength band—compatible with existing fiber-optic infrastructure. However, the photon conversion process introduces noise and signal loss, thereby limiting communication fidelity and operational range. The Illinois team circumvented these challenges by choosing ytterbium-171, an alkaline-earth-like atom with a distinct level structure ideal for direct emission at telecom wavelengths, eliminating the necessity for photon wavelength conversion and significantly reducing transmission losses.

The decision to exploit ytterbium-171’s intrinsic transition at approximately 1389 nm, within the telecom window, cleverly balances practical photon emission rates with manageable spectral characteristics. As lead author Lintao Li explains, this transition does not require complex mode-locked lasers or stringent timing controls due to its moderate linewidth, yet it generates a photon flux sufficient to maintain a high signal-to-noise ratio even in the absence of optical cavities. This insight highlights the careful optimization of atomic transitions to meet the demanding standards of quantum information protocols without the complications that typically accompany narrow linewidth emissions.

Central to the innovation is the demonstration of direct atom-photon entanglement at the telecom wavelength using an array of neutral ytterbium-171 atoms. This approach maps a lattice of atoms onto a corresponding array of optical fibers, enabling a parallelized quantum networking protocol. The architecture not only supports multiplexed quantum communication—thus enhancing the potential communication bandwidth—but also demonstrates selective coherence preservation among qubits. This feature ensures that while some qubits engage in photon emission and communication, others maintain their quantum states intact, enabling simultaneous quantum computation or memory tasks within the same architecture.

The implementation of such high-fidelity photon-atom interfaces is a critical milestone in scalable quantum networks. As Simon Hu, a PhD student and contributing author, remarks, the fidelity of entanglement achieved in this experiment is notably robust. Moreover, the integration of fiber arrays to orchestrate parallel operations directly addresses the otherwise severe bottlenecks of single-channel quantum repeaters, thereby opening pathways to practical, large-scale quantum internet frameworks that could interlink quantum computers, sensors, and clocks over continental distances.

Despite these successes, the current platform contends with photon collection efficiency limitations, which inherently restrict networking speed and data throughput. The research collective recognizes this constraint and emphasizes ongoing efforts to integrate optical cavities, which enhance photon collection and emission directionality. Augmenting the photon collection efficiency promises to accelerate quantum communication rates substantially, advancing the system toward viable real-world deployments in quantum internet architectures.

The team’s vision extends beyond atom-photon entanglement. Gloria Jia, postdoctoral co-lead, envisions scalable atom-atom entanglement mediated by photons, a vital step for modularized quantum processors. Such entanglement would underpin distributed quantum computation, where spatially separated quantum nodes synchronize their quantum states through photons, facilitating complex, large-scale quantum operations without the need for monolithic quantum systems. The integration of optical cavities within this framework is also poised to bolster photon-mediated quantum links’ performance and reliability.

Beyond networking, ytterbium-171 arrays possess promising applications in precision metrology. Their role in optical atomic clocks—devices that measure time by referencing atomic resonance frequencies—is already well-established. However, newer research implicates ytterbium atom arrays in surpassing classical limits of clock precision through entangled states and quantum correlations. This could lead to the next generation of atomic clocks, markedly improving timekeeping stability and accuracy critical for GPS, satellite communications, and fundamental tests of physics.

This new quantum networking platform thus connects seamlessly to larger scientific objectives, such as synchronizing geographically distributed atomic clocks with unprecedented precision. Simon Hu contextualizes this integration, explaining how scalable quantum networking is essential for interconnecting atomic clocks worldwide, enabling synchronization that quantum standards have long aspired toward but only now approach realization. This synchronization could enable breakthroughs in navigation, fundamental physics experiments, and international time standards.

The development leverages ytterbium-171’s advantages as an alkaline-earth-like atom. Its electronic and nuclear spin configurations provide narrow optical transitions suitable for quantum memory and long coherence times, indispensable for storing and reliably transmitting quantum information. Coupled with the experimental demonstration of parallelized entanglement protocols and direct telecom photon emission, this system offers a compelling blueprint for future quantum networks.

Notably, the platform’s design benefits from compatibility with existing fiber-optic infrastructure, utilizing the telecom C-band, which is favored for minimal attenuation in long-haul fiber transmission. This compatibility dramatically lowers the barriers to integrating quantum networks with current telecommunications hardware, bridging the gap between quantum laboratory experiments and real-world applications involving quantum-secure communication, distributed quantum computing, or sensor networks.

In conclusion, the work by Jacob Covey’s team at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign represents a pioneering advance in quantum networking employing ytterbium-171 atom arrays. By demonstrating high-fidelity, parallelizable atom-photon entanglement directly at telecom wavelengths, they have charted a viable course toward scalable, robust, and efficient quantum communication architectures. Their ongoing efforts to enhance photon collection and expand entanglement schemes signal transformative potential not only for quantum internet infrastructure but also for precision metrology, sensing, and the emerging quantum information economy.

Subject of Research: Quantum networking using ytterbium-171 atom arrays for high-fidelity, telecom-band entanglement.

Article Title: Parallelized telecom quantum networking with an ytterbium-171 atom array

News Publication Date: 19-Sep-2025

Web References:
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-025-03022-4

Image Credits: The Grainger College of Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Keywords

Quantum networking, Ytterbium-171 atoms, Telecom wavelength quantum communication, Atom-photon entanglement, Quantum computation scalability, Optical atomic clocks, Quantum metrology, Parallelized quantum interfaces, Fiber-optic quantum networks

At the heart of the quantum internet’s potential is the photon, the elementary particle of light, which acts as a carrier of quantum information. Photons can encode quantum bits, or qubits, using their polarization—essentially the orientation of their electromagnetic waves. However, directing photons along a network without degrading their quantum information has been a persistent challenge. Previous devices struggled to maintain polarization integrity at the wavelengths commonly used in telecommunications, often introducing unacceptable loss or noise. The novel photonic router introduced by Professor Fumihiro Kaneda’s team addresses this problem head-on by offering a solution that preserves photon polarization with fidelity above 99%, all while operating with unprecedented low optical loss.

This quantum router utilizes an ingeniously redesigned interferometer, departing from conventional rectangular path designs in favor of a parallelogram arrangement. This subtle yet critical structural innovation allows optical components to preserve photon polarization by enabling operation at nearly normal angles of incidence. Such meticulous engineering minimizes detrimental effects like polarization rotation or decoherence that could otherwise disrupt the quantum signal. By maintaining strict polarization control, the router ensures that quantum information encoded in the photons remains intact during passage, a prerequisite for secure quantum communication and quantum computing networks.

The device excels not only in preserving polarization but also achieves extraordinary optical efficiency by minimizing the number of components in the signaling pathway. Every optical interface introduces some degree of loss, which, at the quantum scale, can critically limit performance. The Tohoku University team’s router transmits photons with a loss as small as 0.06 dB—equivalent to just a 1.3% loss rate. This figure places the technology in a league markedly superior to most existing photonic routing mechanisms. Such efficiency enables photon signal transmission at speeds measured in nanoseconds, suitable for real-time quantum data processing and compatible with current telecommunications infrastructure.

Crucially, this innovative device is engineered to function at telecom wavelengths, the standard spectral bands used in today’s fiber optic internet networks. Compatibility with existing infrastructure is paramount for the deployment of quantum communication technologies on a global scale. By aligning their design with these widely used wavelength bands, Kaneda’s photonic router offers a seamless upgrade pathway toward integrating quantum networks with the classical internet backbone, thereby facilitating scalable and practical quantum data transmission.

Beyond the routing of single photons, the researchers have demonstrated a world-first capability to route two-photon entangled states using the device. Quantum entanglement—the counterintuitive linkage between separate quantum particles—underpins many advanced quantum technologies, including quantum sensing and distributed quantum networks. Successfully routing entangled photons while maintaining interference visibility near 97% signals the device’s ability to handle complex quantum states without compromising entanglement quality, a major milestone for scalable quantum networks.

The precision and stability of the photonic router also reflect a reduction in noise and distortion, issues that plague many previous quantum photonic devices. The team’s approach optimizes the router’s internal architecture to mitigate spurious scattering and other disruptive phenomena that can degrade quantum signal coherence. Consequently, the system maintains not only the integrity of quantum information but also ensures rapid, noise-free operation, qualities essential for real-world quantum technologies.

This pioneering photonic router sets a new benchmark for quantum device performance by fulfilling all critical criteria—low loss, high speed, faithful polarization maintenance, and compatibility with telecom fibers—within a single compact and robust apparatus. Such multifunctional integration is rare in quantum photonics, where devices often excel in one area but compromise in others. The Tohoku University invention effectively bridges these gaps, enabling the practical deployment of quantum communication systems that can coexist with and enhance today’s internet infrastructure.

At a fundamental level, this achievement leverages electro-optic control techniques that can dynamically steer photons through different output ports with high precision. The electro-optic effect allows the device to manipulate the photon’s path in nanoseconds, facilitating fast, deterministic routing of quantum signals. This dynamic control capability is vital for future quantum networks where routing decisions must adapt rapidly to complex communication protocols or computational requirements.

The ramifications of this photonic router extend beyond communication, as efficient and reliable photon manipulation advances numerous fields reliant on photonic quantum technologies. This includes quantum computing architectures that utilize photonic qubits, quantum metrology systems benefiting from entanglement-enhanced measurements, and secure quantum cryptographic schemes demanding high-fidelity quantum state preservation during transmission.

Professor Kaneda underscores the significance of this advancement, emphasizing that the system avoids the pitfalls of degraded quantum signals—akin to a “broken telephone” scenario where information becomes distorted along the way. By ensuring that transmitted photon polarization matches the original signal with exceptional accuracy, the router instills confidence that quantum information will remain trustworthy and usable throughout intricate quantum networks.

In summary, the development of this low-loss, polarization-maintaining photonic router represents a pivotal step toward the materialization of the quantum internet. By meeting the stringent requirements for practical operation, including interfacing with existing telecommunication fibers, preserving quantum coherence, and enabling high-speed routing, this device lays the groundwork for the next era of quantum communication and quantum-enhanced technologies. Ongoing research and further optimization promise to push these boundaries even further, heralding a future where quantum networks become integral to everyday life.

Subject of Research: Quantum photonic routing and quantum communication technology

Article Title: Low-loss polarization-maintaining router for single and entangled photons at a telecom wavelength

News Publication Date: 2-Sep-2025

Web References:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/qute.202500355

Image Credits: ©Pengfei Wang et al.

Keywords

Photons, Computational science, Quantum computing, Computer science, Quantum mechanics, Quantum entanglement