Today, Monday, 20 January 2025, marked the start of the second International Conference on Quantum Technology for High-Energy Physics (QT4HEP2025), with 174 in-person attendees, and many more following online. Hosted at CERN, and running until Friday, 24 January, the event builds on the success of the 2022 edition, providing a platform to explore both the opportunities and challenges posed by emerging quantum technologies, with a particular focus on their potential impact on particle physics. This brings together researchers and industry professionals from the quantum technology community to showcase recent advancements and identify areas where particle physics and related fields can benefit most from quantum innovation.
“It is a pleasure to welcome you all to QT4HEP 2025, and how appropriate we come together for the second edition of this conference just as the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology is about to start,” said Enrica Porcari, CERN’s Head of IT, as she opened the conference.
Porcari highlighted CERN’s leadership through the CERN Quantum Technology Initiative: “The QT4HEP conference has quickly become a cornerstone for exploring the intersection of quantum technology and high-energy physics. But QT4HEP is not just about what quantum technologies can do for us; it’s also about showcasing how the innovations and methodologies developed within the HEP community can contribute to the advancement of quantum technologies.”
She also stated that “the future of high-energy physics and quantum technology is being written right now” and concluded saying that she feels confident that the discussions and ideas emerging from this conference “will play a pivotal role in shaping it”.
The conference is hosted by the CERN Quantum Technology Initiative (CERN QTI), an extensive research and development program aimed at exploring the applications of quantum technologies in particle physics and beyond. Building on the momentum of CERN’s 2018 workshop on quantum computing and the inaugural QT4HEP 2022, which brought these efforts to a global stage, the initiative has continued to drive forward investigations into cutting-edge quantum technologies.
CERN QTI focuses on four main research areas: quantum theory and simulation; quantum sensing, metrology, and materials; quantum computing and algorithms; and quantum communication and networks. Today’s sessions at the conference focused on quantum communication and networks, with contributions from representatives of the European Commission Joint Research Centre, IDQuantique, Nu Quantum, Qunnect, Deutsche Telekom, Stony Brook University and other leading research institutes.
If you want a deeper dive into each talk, all of today’s presentations are available in the Indico timetable. Full recordings will be uploaded very soon.
Tomorrow’s sessions will focus on computing and algorithms, wednesday will be for sensingand thursday for quantum computing. Friday will be dedicated to a Quantum Hackathon. Friday’s sessions will not be webcast, but most sessions on the other days will be.
Visit the conference website for details on how to join us for the remaining days of the conference: https://indico.cern.ch/event/1433194/timetable/#all . More news from the conference will be posted on quantum.cern in the coming days.