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Quantum Sensing and Metrology (QSM)

Quantum Sensing and Metrology (QSM)

Optica Sensing Congress
20-24, July 2025
Long Beach, CA, USA

QSM aims to cover quantum sensing technologies with real-world applications as well as the development of devices and techniques that will advance sensing performance.

The topical meeting uses the quantum properties of matter (such as quantized transitions in neutral atoms, ions and spin qubits) or quantum phenomena (including entanglement between different qubits or degrees of freedom) to measure physical quantities with unparalleled sensitivity, precision and accuracy.


Technical Program

This congress presents the latest developments in optical sensing and sensors as well as their use in a variety of applications. Of particular note are a number of hot topics being addressed, including agriphotonics, fiber-based sensing, THz sensing, sensing solutions in manufacturing and the latest developments in comb spectroscopy, including fiber lasers and mid-IR sources.

Objectives
  • Learn about the latest advances in sensing for the environment, including dual-comb sensing of atmospheric gases, compact LIDAR and hyperspectral sensors.
  • Discover relevant techniques for sensing in an industrial environment such as real-time process monitoring on the factory floor, spectroscopic food safety inspection and spectroscopic analysis in harsh environments.
  • Understand the latest applications of fiber and nanophotonic sensors for biological and chemical sensing, including the newest wearable sensor technology.
  • Investigate novel laboratory spectroscopic techniques and methodologies for disruptive sensing technology, such as novel light sources and detectors, photonic integrated circuit (PIC) sensors and sensing networks.
  • Explore the production, detection, and use of THz radiation for metrology and sensing, including comb-source generation and biosensing applications.

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Chairs

Lukas Emmenegger
EMPA, Switzerland,
General Chair

Genevieve Plant
University of Michigan, United States,
General Chair

Caroline Kistner
Nanoplus Nanosystems and Tech GmbH, Germany,
Program Chair

Juha Toivonen
Tampereen Yliopisto, Finland,
Program Chair

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Committee 

  • Lukas Emmenegger, EMPASwitzerlandGeneral Chair
  • Genevieve Plant, University of MichiganUnited StatesGeneral Chair
  • Caroline Kistner, Nanoplus Nanosystems and Tech GmbHGermanyProgram Chair
  • Juha Toivonen, Tampereen YliopistoFinlandProgram Chair
  • Kevin Cossel, NIST BoulderUnited States
  • Paolo De Natale, Istituto Nazionale di OtticaItaly
  • Christoph Dyroff, Aerodyne Research IncGermany
  • Andreas Fix, Deutsches Zent f.Luft-u.Raumfahrt eV (W)Germany
  • Michele Gianella, Sensirion AGSwitzerland
  • Borislav Hinkov, Silicon Austria Labs GmbHAustria
  • Jane Hodgkinson, Cranfield UniversityUnited Kingdom
  • Rand Ismaeel, University of SouthamptonUnited Kingdom
  • Jana Jágerská, UiT The Arctic University of NorwayNorway
  • Dennis Killinger, University of South FloridaUnited States
  • Wei Ren, The Chinese University of Hong KongHong Kong
  • Lukasz Sterczewski, Politechnika WroclawskaPoland
  • Béla Tuzson, EMPASwitzerland
  • Eleanor Waxman, NOAA Earth System Research LaboratoryUnited States
  • Eric Zhang, IBM TJ Watson Research CenterUnited States

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Topic Categories

Hyperspectral/Multispectral Imaging and Sounding of the Environment (HISE)

HISE seeks presentations of innovations in hyperspectral and multispectral instrumentation, technology development, data analysis and applications for imaging and sounding of the environment.

Topics of Interest
  1. Atmospheric Sensing and Sounding
    • Atmospheric measurements and their applications
    • Modeling and compensation for atmospheric effects
    • Air pollution and air quality monitoring
    • Weather prediction and climate modeling
  2. Aquatic Remote Sensing
    • Water quality monitoring in inland and coastal waters
    • Phytoplankton functional group and species discrimination
    • Harmful algal bloom monitoring
    • Determination of concentrations of physical and biological constituents in water
    • Bottom type and bottom depth determination in shallow water environments
  3. Terrestrial Remote Sensing
    • Precision agriculture
    • Species discrimination and mapping of vegetation in forests and wetlands
    • Soil studies, including soil classification, soil moisture content and trafficability
    • High-resolution imaging for urban planning and development
  4. Radiative Transfer Modeling
    • New approaches for computationally efficient and fast radiative transfer modeling
    • Vector radiative transfer modeling using hyperspectral and polarimetric data
    • Fast radiative transfer through dimensionality reduction and machine learning approaches
  5. Image Processing, Algorithm Development and Machine Learning
    • Innovative signal and digital image processing techniques including image segmentation, pattern recognition and neural networks
    • High-resolution data analysis using artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques
    • Dimensionality reduction and information content analysis
    • Fusion with active or passive sensors and visualization algorithms
    • Spectral inversion techniques such as unmixing, deconvolution, derivatives, optimal estimation and spectral fingerprinting
  6. Industrial Applications
    • Imaging and sensing applications in the mining, oil and gas industries
    • High-resolution imaging for industrial quality analysis, process control and material identification
    • Imaging and sensing technologies for food adulteration monitoring
  7. Incident Response and Monitoring Applications
    • Environmental changes due to pandemics, hurricanes and other natural disasters
    • Thermal sensing of wildfires and volcanoes
    • Deployment of imaging technologies for rapid response to natural disasters/events
  8. Sensor Development
    • New hyperspectral/multispectral imager design, development and sensor characterization
    • Planned and recently launched operational imaging and/or sounding systems
    • Observing system simulation experiments
    • Active hyperspectral imaging and LiDAR

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Plenary Speakers

Hidetoshi Katori
The University of Tokyo, Japan

From High Precision to Innovation: Optical Lattice Clocks for Future Applications

Optica Distinguished Lecture Series on Quantum Science and Technology
Optical lattice clocks achieve 18-digit accuracy, enabling chronometric leveling and paving the way for redefining the second. Advances in compact clock designs, long-distance clock comparisons and continuous interrogation techniques will facilitate their real-world implementation.

About the Speaker

Hidetoshi Katori, born 27 September 1964, is a Japanese physicist and professor at the University of Tokyo best known for having invented the magic wavelength technique for ultra-precise optical lattice atomic clocks. Since 2011, Katori is also Chief Scientist at the Quantum Metrology Lab, RIKEN.

Recently, Katori's group performed a measurement of gravitational redshift with two transportable strontium optical lattice clocks over nearly the entire height of the Tokyo Skytree, setting a new record for the best ground-based test of general relativity.
 

Florian Schreck
University of Amsterdam

Continuous Bose-Einstein Condensation and Optical Clocks

Continuous instead of pulsed operation of optical clocks promises a hundred-fold increased measurement bandwidth. On our path to this goal, we achieved continuous Bose-Einstein condensation [Nature 606, 683 (2022)] and build continuously operating optical clocks.

About the Speaker

Prof. Florian Schreck (University of Amsterdam) works on quantum sensors and simulators based on ultracold strontium gases. His research group recently achieved continuous Bose-Einstein condensation, a great starting point for future continuous atom lasers that could be useful for atom interferometry. Using techniques created for that work, his group is developing a new generation of optical clocks, continuously operating superradiant and zero-deadtime clocks. Other projects include the study of ultracold RbSr molecules and quantum simulations using arrays of Rydberg-coupled single Sr atoms. He coordinates the Quantum Delta NL Ultracold Quantum Sensing Testbed and the EU’s AQuRA transportable optical clock project. He is CEO of OpticsFoundry, which has the mission to make optical circuits for quantum devices easy to design, procure and operate.

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Invited Speakers

  • Oliver Burrow, University of StrathclydeUnited Kingdom
    Compact Cold-Atom Platforms for Quantum Sensing Technologies
  • Scott Diddams, University of Colorado BoulderUnited States
    Squeezing Enhanced Dual Comb Spectroscopy
  • Alexey Gorshkov, University of Maryland at College ParkUnited States
    Quantum Sensor Networks
  • Begüm Kabagöz, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyUnited States
    Towards -10 dB Squeezing: Advanced LIGO Quantum Noise in the Fourth Observing Run
  • Helen Margolis, National Physical Laboratory (UK)United Kingdom
    Optical Clocks for International Timekeeping
  • Sara Mouradian, University of WashingtonUnited States
    Radiofrequency Ensing with Trapped Ions
  • Peter Schwindt, Sandia National Laboratories AlbuquerqueUnited States
    Quantum Magnetometry
  • Haowei Shi, University of Southern CaliforniaUnited States
    Entanglement-Enhanced Sensing and Transduction

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Industry Program

The Industry Program will address disruptive projects and applications as a result of talent drain and transformative processes.

During the 2025 Industry Program, topics discussed at Toulouse 2024 will be expanded, and new topics will be added. However, the program is only the tip of the iceberg for interested attendees. These sessions encourage dialogue, vision, know-how and guidance.

This content model was enthusiastically received by the 500 participants at Toulouse 2024.

Background

We will focus on news, challenges, applications, opportunities and scalability in emerging technologies on a system or component level.

Johannes Kunsch, the Optica Sensing Congress Industry Chair answers the question: What is specific to the Optica Sensing Congress? It is not only a look at the science behind the talks, but also the networking and work-ready inspiration.      

Objectives

The goal of the Industry Program is to pave the road toward substantial future growth and give orientation. There is great momentum in the optical sensing industry. This momentum should continue to grow and make optical sensing a preferred career path. The industry team decided to focus mostly on Infrared Photonic Circuits and Biomedical Infrared Spectroscopy and highlights the role of AI.

Chairs

Johannes Kunsch
Laser Components Germany GmbH, Germany, 
Industry Chair

Borislav Hinkov
Silicon Austria Labs GmbH, Austria, 
Industry Co-Chair

Committee

Johannes Kunsch, LASER COMPONENTS Germany GmbH, GermanyGeneral Chair 
Borislav Hinkov, Silicon Austria Labs, AustriaCo-Chair 
Amber Czajkowski, Alluxa Inc., USACo-Chair 
Shankar Baliga, LASER COMPONENTS Detector Group Inc., USA
Kurt Hochrein, Dexter Research Center, USA
Timothy Olsen, Omega Optical, USA

Industry Session I

Wednesday, 23 July 16:00 - 17:00

Speakers
Johannes Kunsch, LASER COMPONENTS Germany GmbHGermany
Tarek Eissa, LMU MünchenGermany
Mihaela Zigman, LMU MünchenGermany
Mehdi Asghari, SiLC TechnologiesUSA
Borislav Hinkov, Silicon Austria LabsAustria
Matthias Budden, Wired SenseGermany
Ryszard Piramidowicz, VIGO PhotonicsPoland
Mircea Guina, Tampereen Teknillinen YliopistoFinland
Werner Mäntele, DiaMonTech AGGermany

Industry Session II

Thursday, 24 July 10:00 - 11:00

Speakers
Tarek Eissa, LMU MünchenGermany
Mihaela Zigman, LMU MünchenGermany
Matthias Budden, Wired SenseGermany
Mircea Guina, Tampereen Teknillinen YliopistoFinland
Werner Mäntele, DiaMonTech AGGermany

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