Out In The Neon Light: Quantum Sensing's New Dawn For Photonics

By John Oncea, Editor

Recent quantum breakthroughs overcome decoherence and enable mass production, driving photonics innovation across medical and environmental applications.

Have we talked about the Eagles yet? No? Okay, let’s get into it, and feel free to skip ahead a section if you don’t want to hear the ramblings of an old music buff.

According to Rolling Stone, they are one of the most influential bands of all time whose “easygoing California sound (was) perfected in the Seventies (and) can still be heard decades later on classic-rock radio and in a new crop of rock and, especially, country artists.”

The original members were Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Bernie Leadon, and Randy Meisner, later members included Don Felder, Joe Walsh, and Timothy B. Schmit, and the band was at its commercial peak in 1976 following the release of a compilation album, Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975). Unfortunately, at the same time, the Eagles were falling apart due to strong wills, exhaustion, and ego.

Ironically, things were getting better from a record sales standpoint thanks to the release of the best-selling studio album of their career, Hotel California, at the tail end of 1976. In addition to being their most commercially successful album, many consider it to be their creative best as well, including Ultimate Classic Rock.

Now here’s my hot take: I think The Long Run might be their best album. But that’s kind of like saying you prefer your million-dollar prize in cash as opposed to a check – either way, you can’t go wrong.

One of the reasons I prefer The Long Run* is the song The Sad Café, a simple and beautiful reminiscence about the early days of the Eagles, when they used to play at a club called the Troubadour. One of the best lines from the song, written by Henley, Frey, Walsh, and J.D. Souther, is, “But things in this life change very slowly if they ever change at all.”

And in life, I think that’s true in a “big picture” kind of way. With the perspective of time, you realize that things do change more slowly than you thought, if they ever change at all.

But in photonics? Nah, things move fast in this industry, including the topic at hand here, quantum sensing.

About a year ago, we took a look at the future of quantum sensing, determining that the market is burgeoning, ultra-sensitive detectors that can detect light signals down to the photon level were being developed, and the technology is expected to impact aircraft manufacturers, automobile manufacturers, border and immigration controls, climatology and weather forecasting, computer and electronics developers, cyber security, and defense and intelligence systems.

And all of that remains true. But recent breakthroughs in quantum sensing are now transforming the photonics industry, offering unprecedented measurement precision while overcoming long-standing technical barriers.

These advances are enabling the detection of signals previously considered unmeasurable and are rapidly moving from laboratories to commercial applications. The quantum photonics market is witnessing the creation of vast opportunities for photonics engineers to develop innovative sensing technologies that operate beyond classical limits.

* It also doesn’t hurt that The Long Run features Heartache Tonight, a song that, every time I hear it, takes me back to some of the greatest parties I ever went to.

Quantum Sensing Changes Very Quickly

One of the most significant recent breakthroughs in quantum sensing comes from researchers at the University of Southern California, who in April 2025 demonstrated a novel technique that effectively counteracts the limitation of decoherence.

For decades, decoherence, unpredictable behavior caused by environmental noise, has severely restricted quantum sensors’ performance and practical applications, Phys.org writes. According to Eli Levenson-Falk, senior author of the study published in Nature Communications, “Decoherence causes the state of a quantum system to become randomly scrambled, erasing any quantum sensing signal.”

The USC team’s innovation employs a pre-determined coherence-stabilized protocol that temporarily counteracts this problem by stabilizing key properties of the quantum state. This technique allows quantum sensors to maintain coherence longer, enabling detection of significantly fainter signals.

As Malida Hecht, lead author of the study, explains, “Think of it as trying to hear a faint whisper in a noisy space. Quantum sensing devices detect things that are too small or faint for normal measuring tools to notice.” This advancement has immediate implications for enhancing photonic quantum sensors across numerous applications, from medical imaging to foundational physics research.

March 2025 saw another notable advancement with quantum sensing achieving unprecedented precision in displacement measurements taking place at the University of Portsmouth. This breakthrough enables photonic systems to detect infinitesimal changes in position and movement, with applications ranging from gravitational wave detection to next-generation inertial navigation systems. The exceptional sensitivity achieved through quantum techniques offers photonics engineers new capabilities in designing systems that can detect previously unmeasurable physical phenomena.

Additionally, significant progress has been made in light detection technology for quantum sensing applications. These novel light detectors are particularly relevant for photonics engineers working on quantum optical systems, as they directly improve the performance of photonic circuits and integrated quantum photonic platforms.

Current Applications

The impact of recent quantum sensing advancements extends across multiple fields. In medical imaging, quantum sensors enable significantly higher resolution and sensitivity, allowing for earlier disease detection and more precise diagnostics. The improved sensitivity also has implications for brain activity measurement, potentially revolutionizing our understanding of neurological processes.

In environmental monitoring, quantum photonic sensors are being employed for more accurate greenhouse gas detection. Enhanced sensitivity allows for the detection of lower gas concentrations, providing more precise data for climate science and environmental policy decisions.

Cancer detection represents another promising application, with quantum photonic sensors capable of identifying biomarkers at much lower concentrations than conventional methods. This capability could lead to earlier diagnosis and improved treatment outcomes.

In timekeeping, quantum sensors are advancing ultra-precise atomic clocks, with applications in telecommunications, financial trading, and GPS technology. Similarly, gravity anomaly detection has been enhanced by quantum sensing techniques, with applications in geological surveying, resource exploration, and civil engineering.

The automotive sector is also benefiting from quantum sensing advancements, particularly in the development of more precise navigation systems. Quantum inertial sensors offer significant improvements over classical accelerometers and gyroscopes, potentially enabling autonomous vehicles to navigate with centimeter-level precision even when GPS signals are unavailable.

Future Horizons for Quantum Photonics

Looking ahead, several emerging quantum sensing technologies promise to further transform the photonics industry. IDTechEx projects that the quantum sensors market will continue growing to reach approximately $2.2 billion by 2045, driven by continued innovation and expanding applications.

Photonic integrated circuits (PICs) are positioned to drive quantum technology advancements in 2025 and beyond. These integrated circuits allow for the miniaturization and scalable manufacturing of quantum photonic systems, making them more practical for commercial applications. As PICs advance, they will enable more complex quantum sensing capabilities in smaller, more energy-efficient packages.

Quantum light sources represent another area of significant future impact. Particularly, color centers in diamonds are being developed for biological applications, offering new possibilities for in vivo sensing at the cellular level. These light sources provide stable, single-photon emission that can be used for ultra-sensitive detection in biological systems.

Photon-number-resolving (PNR) detectors are emerging as a transformative technology for quantum sensing in photonics. These detectors can distinguish the exact number of photons in an optical pulse, enabling unprecedented precision in measurements. As this technology matures, it will open new possibilities for quantum-enhanced imaging, spectroscopy, and communication systems.

In particle physics, quantum sensors are poised to power future research efforts. The extreme sensitivity of quantum sensors makes them ideal for detecting rare particle interactions and subtle physical phenomena, potentially leading to discoveries in fundamental physics.

Integration With Other Advanced Technologies

The convergence of quantum sensing with other emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence and 5G networks, represents a significant opportunity for photonics engineers. AI algorithms can help process the complex data generated by quantum sensors, while high-bandwidth communication networks enable real-time data transmission from distributed quantum sensing networks.

Silicon photonics is also emerging as a key platform for quantum sensing applications, with the global market expected to grow significantly from 2025 to 2035. The compatibility of silicon photonics with conventional semiconductor manufacturing processes makes it an attractive platform for scaling quantum sensing technologies.

Quantum photonics sensing in biosystems demonstrates how quantum sensors can achieve unprecedented sensitivity in biological applications. These developments are particularly relevant for medical diagnostics and pharmaceutical research, where detecting minute quantities of biomarkers can lead to earlier disease detection and more effective treatments.

Recent advancements in quantum sensing are already having a profound impact on the photonics industry, enabling unprecedented measurement precision and opening new application domains. As these technologies continue to mature and converge with other advanced systems, photonics engineers will play a crucial role in developing the next generation of quantum-enabled devices and applications.

The extraordinary growth projections for the quantum photonics market reflect the transformative potential of these technologies and the exciting opportunities they present for innovation in photonics engineering.