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Photonics
Special Issues
Recent Progress in Optical Quantum Information and Communication
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Recent Progress in Optical Quantum Information and Communication

A special issue of Photonics (ISSN 2304-6732). This special issue belongs to the section "Quantum Photonics and Technologies".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 November 2026 | Viewed by 4371

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Morteza Ahmadi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Centre for Quantum Technologies, National University of Singapore, Singapore
Interests: quantum computing; ion traps; semiconductors
Dr. Isa Ahmadalidokht

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Harris Street, Building 4, Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia
Interests: quantum communication; quantum frequency conversion; quantum microscopy

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent years, optical quantum technologies have taken a firm step into the spotlight, ushering in breakthroughs across quantum communication, computation, sensing, and networking. While long-standing goals, such as large-scale error-corrected quantum computers, remain aspirational, the community now recognizes the immense potential and practicality of noisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) systems, especially when harnessed via optical platforms. In this Special Issue, we explore significant strides in light-source engineering, photonic integration, and nonlinear and linear optics, driving practical applications across:

  • Quantum communication: advances in key distribution, entanglement swapping, quantum repeaters, and high‑dimensional encoding in fiber, free‑space, and underwater channels;
  • Quantum networks: milestones such as photonic inter-module entanglement and distributed quantum algorithms;
  • Quantum computing and simulation: cutting-edge work in integrated quantum photonics, including chip-based gates and path-/polarization-encoded logic;
  • Photonic devices: innovations in photon sources (single‑ and entangled‑photon emitters), high‑efficiency detectors (SNSPDs/SPADs), modulators, converters, and memories;
  • Quantum sensing/imaging: exploitation of squeezed light, entanglement, and quantum coherence to improve measurement accuracy, resolution, and sensitivity.

Dr. Morteza Ahmadi
Dr. Isa Ahmadalidokht
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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. Photonics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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.

Keywords

  • optical quantum information
  • quantum communication
  • quantum networks
  • single-photon sources
  • entangled photons
  • quantum key distribution (qkd)
  • quantum frequency conversion
  • photonic quantum computing
  • quantum optics
  • nonlinear optics in quantum systems
  • photonic integrated circuits (pics)

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 1805 KB  
Communication
1 × 3 Optical Drop Multiplexer for FTTH Applications Based on Photonic Crystal Fiber
by Mohammed Debbal, Mohammed Chamse Eddine Ouadah and Ahlem Assia Harrat
Photonics 2026, 13(2), 130; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics13020130 - 30 Jan 2026
Viewed by 413
Abstract
This paper proposes a novel photonic crystal fiber-based 1 × 3 optical drop multiplexer design. According to numerical simulations, optical signals can be injected on the left core and divided into another core at various distances to separate the optical signals in a [...] Read more.
This paper proposes a novel photonic crystal fiber-based 1 × 3 optical drop multiplexer design. According to numerical simulations, optical signals can be injected on the left core and divided into another core at various distances to separate the optical signals in a photonic crystal fiber structure. Throughout the length of the fiber, the innovative design controls the direction of light transmission between layers by alternating between multiple air-hole positions using pure silica layers. The optical systemic communications industry cannot function without wavelength multiplexers/demultiplexers. They function as a data combiner/separator. By employing an optical add-drop multiplexer, it becomes possible to add or remove signals from a stream of multiplexed signals without the need to be concerned about any potential interference with the existing signals, even when they are traveling at varying on-axis distances. This study provides findings about small optical drop multiplexers for fiber-to-the-home applications employing photonic crystal fiber at wavelengths of 0.85, 1.45, and 1.2 µm. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Progress in Optical Quantum Information and Communication)
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11 pages, 4203 KB  
Article
Optical Performance Analysis of Anti-Reflective Microholes with Different Arrangements Fabricated by Femtosecond Laser Zigzag Scanning
by Yulong Ding, Cong Wang, Zheng Gao, Xiang Jiang, Shiyu Wang, Xianshi Jia, Linpeng Liu and Ji’an Duan
Photonics 2026, 13(2), 109; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics13020109 - 25 Jan 2026
Viewed by 675
Abstract
A femtosecond laser serves as an excellent tool for efficiently fabricating large-area anti-reflective microhole arrays on infrared windows. The impact of the arrangement of the microholes during processing on final performance, however, remains unclear. Here, microhole arrays were fabricated on MgF2 windows [...] Read more.
A femtosecond laser serves as an excellent tool for efficiently fabricating large-area anti-reflective microhole arrays on infrared windows. The impact of the arrangement of the microholes during processing on final performance, however, remains unclear. Here, microhole arrays were fabricated on MgF2 windows using a femtosecond laser. The optical performance was analyzed by the finite-difference time-domain method, focusing on the effects of in-plane arrangement deviation and double-sided alignment error. Simulation results indicate that the arrangement variations alter the average transmittance by less than 0.02%. Analysis via effective medium theory revealed that, within the target band, the microstructure array collectively functions as a thin film with a gradient refractive index. Its macroscopic properties show little sensitivity to minor misalignments at the microscopic scale. As a proof of concept, a large-area (20 mm × 20 mm) double-sided antireflection window was rapidly fabricated by employing a zigzag scanning strategy, which achieved an average transmittance exceeding 97.5% and exhibited a high degree of consistency between the simulated and experimental results. Upon final integration into the infrared thermal imaging system, this window not only enhanced the richness of detail in captured images but also improved target contrast. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Progress in Optical Quantum Information and Communication)
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11 pages, 1174 KB  
Article
Distillation of Multipartite Gaussian EPR Steering Based on Measurement-Based Noiseless Linear Amplification
by Yang Liu
Photonics 2026, 13(1), 81; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics13010081 - 18 Jan 2026
Viewed by 334
Abstract
Multipartite Gaussian Einstein–Podolsky–Rosen (EPR) steering is a key resource for quantum networks, but in practice it is strongly degraded by channel loss and excess noise. This motivates the need to distill multipartite Gaussian EPR steering across all relevant mode partitions. Here we propose [...] Read more.
Multipartite Gaussian Einstein–Podolsky–Rosen (EPR) steering is a key resource for quantum networks, but in practice it is strongly degraded by channel loss and excess noise. This motivates the need to distill multipartite Gaussian EPR steering across all relevant mode partitions. Here we propose and analyze a measurement-based noiseless linear amplification (NLA) protocol that distills Gaussian EPR steering in a four-mode square cluster state transmitted through lossy and noisy channels. Starting from a CV cluster shared by a transmitted node A and three local nodes (B, C, and D), we reconstruct the covariance matrix of the Gaussian cluster state and evaluate Gaussian steering monotones for all (1+1), (1+2), and (1+3) bipartitions before and after applying measurement-based NLA. We show that appropriate conditioning on the noisy mode or on selected relay nodes systematically restores and enhances directional steering, extends both one-way and two-way steerable regions, and preserves the monogamy constraints characteristic of Gaussian graph states. Taken together, these results show that measurement-based NLA provides a practical route to distributing robust multipartite steering in CV cluster architectures, thereby strengthening the foundations for continuous-variable quantum information processing. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Progress in Optical Quantum Information and Communication)
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19 pages, 1300 KB  
Article
Structured Emission and Entanglement Dynamics of a Giant Atom in a Photonic Creutz Ladder
by Vassilios Yannopapas
Photonics 2025, 12(8), 827; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics12080827 - 20 Aug 2025
Viewed by 2102
Abstract
We explore the spontaneous emission dynamics of a giant atom coupled to a photonic Creutz ladder, focusing on how flat-band frustration and synthetic gauge fields shape atom–photon interactions. The Creutz ladder exhibits perfectly flat bands, Aharonov–Bohm caging, and topological features arising from its [...] Read more.
We explore the spontaneous emission dynamics of a giant atom coupled to a photonic Creutz ladder, focusing on how flat-band frustration and synthetic gauge fields shape atom–photon interactions. The Creutz ladder exhibits perfectly flat bands, Aharonov–Bohm caging, and topological features arising from its nontrivial hopping structure. By embedding the giant atom at multiple spatially separated sites, we reveal interference-driven emission control and the formation of nonradiative bound states. Using both spectral and time-domain analyses, we uncover strong non-Markovian dynamics characterized by persistent oscillations, long-lived entanglement, and recoherence cycles. The emergence of bound-state poles in the spectral function is accompanied by spatially localized photonic profiles and directionally asymmetric emission, even in the absence of band dispersion. Calculations of von Neumann entropy and atomic purity confirm the formation of coherence-preserving dressed states in the flat-band regime. Furthermore, the spacetime structure of the emitted field displays robust zig-zag interference patterns and synthetic chirality, underscoring the role of geometry and topology in photon transport. Our results demonstrate how flat-band photonic lattices can be leveraged to engineer tunable atom–photon entanglement, suppress radiative losses, and create structured decoherence-free subspaces for quantum information applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Progress in Optical Quantum Information and Communication)
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