Scientists engineer erbium molecular qubits that plug directly into existing fiber networks, promising telecom-ready quantum systems

• Erbium molecular qubits provide precise optical and spin transitions for quantum control
• These qubits enable spin states to be accessed through telecom-compatible light
• High-resolution spin-photon interfaces could support scalable quantum network development

Scientists have created an erbium-based molecular qubit that offers a way to interface quantum systems with existing fiber networks.

These qubits combine precise optical and spin transitions and permit operations at standard telecommunications wavelengths.

It allows magnetic quantum states to be controlled and read out using light compatible with standard fiber-optic infrastructure.

High-Resolution Spin-Photon Interfaces

This capability could support scalable quantum networks without requiring entirely new communication hardware.

The development was led by scientists at the University of Chicago, in collaboration with UC Berkeley, Argonne National Laboratory, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

Their work received support from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science and the Q-NEXT National Quantum Information Science Research Center.

The team engineered organo-erbium molecules to combine strong magnetic interactions with optical transitions in telecom bands, creating a controllable and tunable quantum system.

The molecular qubits provide a spin-photon interface at the nanoscale.

“These molecules can act as a nanoscale bridge between the world of magnetism and the world of optics,” said Leah Weiss, postdoctoral scholar at the UChicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering and co-first author.

Optical spectroscopy and microwave techniques enable addressing quantum states with megahertz-level precision.

Such dual control allows connections between spin-based quantum processors or sensors and photonic systems.

These features form the potential building blocks for integrated quantum devices and communication networks.

Because the qubits’ optical transitions fall within telecom bands, they can be integrated with silicon photonics platforms.

This compatibility allows both workstation-level experiments for development and large-scale deployment in data centers for broader networked applications.

The qubits’ design could speed up the creation of hybrid systems that combine optical, microwave, and quantum control on a single chip.

These systems also open opportunities for sensing, quantum communication, and integrated quantum platforms.

Erbium molecular qubits could be incorporated into systems capable of transmitting, entangling, and distributing quantum states over commercial fiber.

This approach allows quantum networks to connect directly with existing optical infrastructure while remaining compatible with classical networks.

“By demonstrating the versatility of these erbium molecular qubits, we’re taking another step toward scalable quantum networks that can plug directly into today’s optical infrastructure,” said David Awschalom, the Liew Family Professor of Molecular Engineering and Physics at UChicago and principal investigator.

Although the results show technical feasibility, practical deployment still requires evaluation under real-world network conditions.

Challenges remain in integrating these qubits with CPU-based controllers, managing large-scale data center implementation, and ensuring consistent performance.

That said, this work moves the field toward quantum networks, while still needing extensive testing for widespread adoption.

Via SDxCentral

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