Last week, from 20–24 January, the second International Conference on Quantum Technologies for High-Energy Physics (QT4HEP2025) was held at CERN's Main Auditorium and Science Gateway. With 174 participants attending in person and many more joining online, the conference brought together leading experts from academia, research institutes, and industry to discuss the transformative potential of quantum technologies in high-energy physics.
The conference was opened by Enrica Porcari, Head of CERN’s IT Department, who highlighted CERN’s leadership in advancing quantum technologies 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,” said Porcari. “The future of high-energy physics and quantum technology is being written right now, and I’m confident that the discussions and ideas emerging from this conference will play a pivotal role in shaping it", she added.
The conference was organized by CERN QTI, a comprehensive research and development initiative aimed at exploring applications of quantum technologies for particle physics and beyond. Building on the momentum of CERN’s 2018 workshop on quantum computing and the first QT4HEP conference in 2022, this year’s event showcased the progress made and set the stage for the next steps in this rapidly evolving field. CERN QTI covers four main research areas: quantum communication and networks, quantum computing and algorithms, quantum sensing and quantum theory and simulation. Each day of the conference focused on one of these key areas.
The first day explored quantum communication and networks, with presentations from leading institutes and companies such as IDQuantique, Nu Quantum, Deutsche Telekom, and the European Commission Joint Research Centre among many other leader research institutions. Talks included advancements in entanglement networking hardware, high-speed single-photon detectors, and synchronization for quantum communication.
On the second day, the spotlight turned to quantum computing and algorithms. Topics ranged from hybrid quantum computing methods to simulations of lattice gauge theories and the potential of quantum error correction techniques. A lively poster session featuring over 40 presentations rounded out the day, providing researchers with the opportunity to share their work in an informal setting.
The third day focused on quantum sensing, with presentations covering breakthroughs in quantum sensors for particle detectors and applications of quantum systems for precision measurements The fourth day was dedicated entirely to quantum computing. Speakers presented cutting-edge research, including quantum simulations of atomic nuclei, building quantum event generators, and fault-tolerant simulations.
And with all this, the conference concluded on Friday, January 24, with the CERN-HEP-Challenge Hackathon, a hybrid event bringing together participants from around the world to tackle challenges blending quantum computing and high-energy physics. As Carmen Misa Moreira, one of the participants, mentioned, "the hackathon has this unique ‘learning by doing’ approach with practical examples that, even though challenging, makes you learn a lot while having fun with the colleagues."
If you are interested, you can also join! Even thought the conference is over, the hackathon will continue remotely until March 28, with the winning team earning the opportunity to present their solutions at IBM Quantum and Xanadu AI.
You can find all the details about it here: https://aqora.io/events/cern-hep-challenge-2025
And If you want to delve deeper into a specific presentation, you can watch the recordings of all the presentations here.