Quantum Sensing and Metrology: Pushing the Limits of Precision Measurement

Dear Colleagues,

Quantum sensing exploits fundamental principles of quantum mechanics, such as superposition and entanglement, to perform high-precision measurements of physical quantities with unparalleled accuracy.

Harnessing the recent progress of manipulating atomic and light states, different platforms, including trapped ions, cold atoms, and solid-state atom-like systems, have been considered to obtain the best measurements in different scenarios.

For instance, researchers have designed quantum gravimeters and magnetometers capable of detecting tiny variations in surrounding fields, quantum accelerometers and gyrometers, ultra-precise atomic clocks, and various types of quantum imaging sensors.

With unprecedented sensitivity levels being demonstrated in lab environments, quantum sensing has evidenced a strong potential for applications in fundamental physics and metrology (measuring fundamental constants, detecting dark matter and gravitational waves), infrastructure and security (scanning the invisible), positioning, navigation, timing, and communication systems (achieving resilience in GNSS environments), energy prospecting, environmental monitoring, and imaging and health (brain scanning), to name just a few.

Sensor accuracy, sensitivity, spatial and/or temporal resolution, but also, depending on the context, long-term stability, bandwidth, or dynamic range are the characteristics that scientists are currently trying to enhance in order to harness the full potential of quantum sensing.

Pushing such limits of precision measurements requires the successful mitigation of noise sources and systematic effects that are often preponderant in real-life application setups. Parallel to this, novel sensing modalities, such as hybrid sensors, large-momentum transfer interferometry, or long-baseline quantum sensing from space, have shown promise to scale up current sensors to large-scale highly sensitive detectors, opening up a new pathway in those which are yet-to-be-probed that could underpin the next generation of quantum sensors.

In this Special Issue, we invite the submission of articles that investigate techniques with the potential of enhancing the sensitivity, accuracy, or any relevant aspect of quantum sensing measurements. Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Data fusion and multiple modalities with quantum sensors;
• Hybridization techniques with classical sensors;
• Atom interferometry for fundamental physics;
• Active noise correction techniques and improved detection noise;
• Quantum control techniques for enhanced quantum sensing;
• High-resolution quantum magnetometry;
• Interference and cross-talk mitigation;
• Femtosecond atomic clocks.

Original work highlighting the latest research and technical developments is encouraged, but review papers and comparative studies are also welcome.

Dr. Samuel Lellouch
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• quantum sensing
• atom interferometry
• atomic clocks
• quantum gravimeters and magnetometers
• precision metrology