Submit to Special Issue Submit Abstract to Special Issue Review for Entropy Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser

Quantum Information: Working Towards Applications

Special Issue Editors
Special Issue Information
Keywords
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
Published Papers

A special issue of Entropy (ISSN 1099-4300). This special issue belongs to the section "Quantum Information".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 September 2025 | Viewed by 10211

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Guilu Long

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

State Key Laboratory of Low-Dimensional Quantum Physics and Department of Physics, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
Interests: quantum communication; quantum computation; quantum information; quantum secure direct communication; quantum algorithm
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Kai Wen

E-Mail
Guest Editor

Quantum Science Center of Guangdong-Hongkong-Macao Greater Bay Area (Guangdong), Shenzhen 518045, China
Interests: quantum computation; quantum information; coherent ising machine; quantum algorithm; artificial intelligence

Dr. Min Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Beijing Academy of Quantum Information Sciences, Beijing 100193, China
Interests: quantum communication; post-quantum cryptography; quantum information; quantum secure direct communication; nanophotonics

Dr. Hai Wei

E-Mail
Guest Editor

QBoson Technology, Beijing 100016, China
Interests: quantum computing; quantum applications; lithium niobate; heterogenous integrated circuits; optimization; photonics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Quantum computing, quantum communication, and quantum sensing are the major themes within quantum information. Using quantum states directly, we can build quantum computers that outperform the most powerful supercomputers in the world, breaking existing cryptography and providing an enormous amount of computing power for scientific computing and other areas where computing power plays a role. Quantum communication is a new communication paradigm that uses quantum states and quantum effects to transmit signals and information. Instead of relying on mathematical complexity for encryption, quantum communication relies on the ability to perceive eavesdropping to protect the security of information. Quantum sensing achieves more precise and more sensitive physical quantities using quantum states.

Now, quantum information is advancing to the application stage. Scientists have built quantum computers with thousands of qubits and preliminary applications are underway, such as calculating chemical structures and analyzing protein folding. Scientists have achieved quantum secure direct communication and quantum key distribution over hundreds or even a thousand kilometers. Atomic clocks and other types of quantum sensors already have a place in real-life applications. Major research results in this field indicate that quantum information is becoming more and more practical. Nevertheless, there are still difficulties that need to be resolved in practical applications, such as achieving quantum error correction, reducing the interference from environmental noise in quantum communication, enhancing the performance of quantum sensors, and so on. This Special Issue aims to summarize and publish research results and research trends in the field of quantum information, working towards new applications.

Prof. Dr. Guilu Long
Dr. Kai Wen
Dr. Min Wang
Dr. Hai Wei
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Entropy is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

quantum information
quantum computing
quantum communication
quantum sensing

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (11 papers)

Download All Papers

Order results

Result details

Show export options Show export options

Select all

Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

17 pages, 1129 KiB

Open AccessArticle

High-Dimensional and Multi-Intensity One-Photon-Interference Quantum Secure Direct Communication

by Yu-Ting Lei, Xiang-Jie Li, Xing-Bo Pan, Yun-Rong Zhang and Gui-Lu Long

Entropy 2025, 27(4), 332; https://doi.org/10.3390/e27040332 - 22 Mar 2025

Viewed by 194

Abstract

As a novel paradigm in quantum communication, quantum secure direct communication (QSDC) enables secure, reliable, and deterministic information transmission, leveraging the principles of quantum mechanics. One-photon-interference QSDC is particularly attractive because it mitigates the vulnerabilities in measurement devices while extending transmission distances. In this paper, we propose a high-dimensional one-photon-interference QSDC protocol that exploits the advantages of high-dimensional encoding in the phase of weak coherent pluses to further enhance transmission distances and improve secrecy channel capacity. The security of this protocol is analyzed using quantum wiretap channel theory, and its resistance to common quantum threats is discussed. Numerical simulations demonstrate that our protocol outperforms its predecessor in terms of its secrecy capacity and extends the maximum communication distance achievable up to 494 km, which is over 13% longer than the two-dimensional case, effectively doubling the transmission length of traditional protocols. These improvements highlight the protocol’s potential for use in quantum communication applications in this era of frequent data breaches and information leaks. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quantum Information: Working Towards Applications)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 385 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Beam Search Framework for Quantum Circuit Mapping

by Cheng Qiu, Pengcheng Zhu and Lihua Wei

Entropy 2025, 27(3), 232; https://doi.org/10.3390/e27030232 - 24 Feb 2025

Viewed by 407

Abstract

In the era of noisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) computing, the limited connectivity between qubits is one of the common physical limitations faced by current quantum computing devices. Quantum circuit mapping methods transform quantum circuits into equivalent circuits that satisfy physical connectivity constraints by remapping logical qubits, making them executable. The optimization problem of quantum circuit mapping has NP-hard computational complexity, and existing heuristic mapping algorithms still have significant potential for optimization in terms of the number of quantum gates generated. To reduce the number of SWAP gates inserted during mapping, the solution space of the mapping problem is represented as a tree structure, and the mapping process is equivalent to traversing this tree structure. To effectively and efficiently complete the search process, a beam search framework (BSF) is proposed for solving quantum circuit mapping. By iteratively selecting, expanding, and making decisions, high-quality target circuits are generated. Experimental results show that this method can significantly reduce the number of inserted SWAP gates on medium to large circuits, achieving an average reduction of 44% compared to baseline methods, and is applicable to circuits of various sizes and complexities. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quantum Information: Working Towards Applications)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 1102 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Quantum Secure Direct Communication Technology-Enhanced Time-Sensitive Networks

by Shiqi Zhang and Chao Zheng

Entropy 2025, 27(3), 221; https://doi.org/10.3390/e27030221 - 21 Feb 2025

Viewed by 521

Abstract

Quantum information has emerged as a frontier in scientific research and is transitioning to real-world technologies and applications. In this work, we explore the integration of quantum secure direct communication (QSDC) with time-sensitive networking (TSN) for the first time, proposing a novel framework to address the security and latency challenges of Ethernet-based networks. Because our QSDC-TSN protocol inherits all the advantages from QSDC, it will enhance the security of the classical communications both in the traditional TSN- and QKD-based TSN by the quantum principle and reduce the communication latency by transmitting information directly via quantum channels without using keys. By analyzing the integration of QSDC and TSN in terms of time synchronization, flow control, security mechanisms, and network management, we show how QSDC enhances the real-time performance and security of TSN. These advantages enable our QSDC-TSN to keep the balance between and meet the requirements of both high security and real-time performance in industrial control, in a digital twin of green power and green hydrogen systems in distributed energy networks, etc., showing its potential applications in future quantum-classical-hybrid systems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quantum Information: Working Towards Applications)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 3884 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Research on Development Progress and Test Evaluation of Post-Quantum Cryptography

by Meng Zhang, Jing Wang, Junsen Lai, Mingfu Dong, Zhenzhong Zhu, Ryan Ma and Jun Yang

Entropy 2025, 27(2), 212; https://doi.org/10.3390/e27020212 - 18 Feb 2025

Viewed by 874

Abstract

With the rapid development of quantum computing technology, traditional cryptographic systems are facing unprecedented challenges. Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC), as a new cryptographic technology that can resist attacks from quantum computers, has received widespread attention in recent years. This paper first analyzes the threat of quantum computing to existing cryptographic systems, then introduces in detail the main technical routes of PQC and its standardization process. Then, a testing and evaluation system for PQC is proposed and relevant tests are carried out. Finally, suggestions for future development are put forward. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quantum Information: Working Towards Applications)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

13 pages, 2862 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Solving Flexible Job-Shop Scheduling Problems Based on Quantum Computing

by Kaihan Fu, Jianjun Liu, Miao Chen and Huiying Zhang

Entropy 2025, 27(2), 189; https://doi.org/10.3390/e27020189 - 13 Feb 2025

Viewed by 880

Abstract

Flexible job-shop scheduling problems (FJSPs) represent one of the most complex combinatorial optimization challenges. Modern production systems and control processes demand rapid decision-making in scheduling. To address this challenge, we propose a quantum computing approach for solving FJSPs. We propose a quadratic unconstrained binary optimization (QUBO) model to minimize the makespan of FJSPs, with the scheduling scheme encoded in the ground state of the Hamiltonian operator. The model is solved using a coherent Ising machine (CIM). Numerical experiments are conducted to evaluate and validate the performance and effectiveness of the CIM. The results demonstrate that quantum computing holds significant potential for solving FJSPs more efficiently than traditional computational methods. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quantum Information: Working Towards Applications)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

8 pages, 214 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Deterministic Quantum Dense Coding Based on Non-Maximal Entangled Channel

by Xuanxuan Xin, Zhixing Li and Zhen Wang

Entropy 2025, 27(2), 104; https://doi.org/10.3390/e27020104 - 22 Jan 2025

Viewed by 629

Abstract

In quantum communication, the concept of dense coding traditionally relies on maximally entangled states as quantum channels. Recent advancements have expanded this framework to include non-maximally entangled states within the probabilistic dense coding paradigm. However, such schemes introduce a significant limitation: the receiver cannot always retrieve the complete dense coding information sent by the sender. Consequently, the receiver must inform the sender of the amount of information successfully received. Based on this feedback, the sender determines whether retransmission is necessary, leading to inefficient use of the quantum channel and reduced communication efficiency. To address these shortcomings, we propose an alternative deterministic quantum dense coding scheme that utilizes non-maximally entangled states as the quantum channel. This deterministic approach eliminates the need for retransmissions and significantly enhances communication efficiency while maintaining compatibility with non-maximally entangled states. Our scheme represents a substantial improvement over existing probabilistic methods and paves the way for more efficient quantum communication protocols. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quantum Information: Working Towards Applications)

11 pages, 366 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Perturbational Decomposition Analysis for Quantum Ising Model with Weak Transverse Fields

by Youning Li, Junfeng Huang, Chao Zhang and Jun Li

Entropy 2024, 26(12), 1094; https://doi.org/10.3390/e26121094 - 14 Dec 2024

Viewed by 616

Abstract

This work presents a perturbational decomposition method for simulating quantum evolution under the one-dimensional Ising model with both longitudinal and transverse fields. By treating the transverse field terms as perturbations in the expansion, our approach is particularly effective in systems with moderate longitudinal fields and weak to moderate transverse fields relative to the coupling strength. Through systematic numerical exploration, we characterize parameter regimes and evolution time windows where the decomposition achieves measurable improvements over conventional Trotter decomposition methods. The developed perturbational approach and its characterized parameter space may provide practical guidance for choosing appropriate simulation strategies in different parameter regimes of the one-dimensional Ising model. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quantum Information: Working Towards Applications)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

9 pages, 325 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Quantum Computing in Community Detection for Anti-Fraud Applications

by Yanbo (Justin) Wang, Xuan Yang, Chao Ju, Yue Zhang, Jun Zhang, Qi Xu, Yiduo Wang, Xinkai Gao, Xiaofeng Cao, Yin Ma and Jie Wu

Entropy 2024, 26(12), 1026; https://doi.org/10.3390/e26121026 - 27 Nov 2024

Viewed by 1838

Abstract

Fraud detection within transaction data is crucial for maintaining financial security, especially in the era of big data. This paper introduces a novel fraud detection method that utilizes quantum computing to implement community detection in transaction networks. We model transaction data as an undirected graph, where nodes represent accounts and edges indicate transactions between them. A modularity function is defined to measure the community structure of the graph. By optimizing this function through the Quadratic Unconstrained Binary Optimization (QUBO) model, we identify the optimal community structure, which is then used to assess the fraud risk within each community. Using a Coherent Ising Machine (CIM) to solve the QUBO model, we successfully divide 308 nodes into four communities. We find that the CIM computes faster than the classical Louvain and simulated annealing (SA) algorithms. Moreover, the CIM achieves better community structure than Louvain and SA as quantified by the modularity function. The structure also unambiguously identifies a high-risk community, which contains almost 70% of all the fraudulent accounts, demonstrating the practical utility of the method for banks’ anti-fraud business. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quantum Information: Working Towards Applications)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 4745 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Quantum Circuit Architecture Search on a Superconducting Processor

by Kehuan Linghu, Yang Qian, Ruixia Wang, Meng-Jun Hu, Zhiyuan Li, Xuegang Li, Huikai Xu, Jingning Zhang, Teng Ma, Peng Zhao, Dong E. Liu, Min-Hsiu Hsieh, Xingyao Wu, Yuxuan Du, Dacheng Tao, Yirong Jin and Haifeng Yu

Entropy 2024, 26(12), 1025; https://doi.org/10.3390/e26121025 - 26 Nov 2024

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 965

Abstract

Variational quantum algorithms (VQAs) have shown strong evidence to gain provable computational advantages in diverse fields such as finance, machine learning, and chemistry. However, the heuristic ansatz exploited in modern VQAs is incapable of balancing the trade-off between expressivity and trainability, which may lead to degraded performance when executed on noisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) machines. To address this issue, here, we demonstrate the first proof-of-principle experiment of applying an efficient automatic ansatz design technique, i.e., quantum architecture search (QAS), to enhance VQAs on an 8-qubit superconducting quantum processor. In particular, we apply QAS to tailor the hardware-efficient ansatz toward classification tasks. Compared with heuristic ansätze, the ansatz designed by QAS improves the test accuracy from

31 %

98 %

. We further explain this superior performance by visualizing the loss landscape and analyzing effective parameters of all ansätze. Our work provides concrete guidance for developing variable ansätze to tackle various large-scale quantum learning problems with advantages. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quantum Information: Working Towards Applications)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 6173 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Control Power in Continuous Variable Controlled Quantum Teleportation

by Yuehan Tian, Dunbo Cai, Nengfei Gong, Yining Li, Ling Qian, Runqing Zhang, Zhiguo Huang and Tiejun Wang

Entropy 2024, 26(12), 1017; https://doi.org/10.3390/e26121017 - 25 Nov 2024

Viewed by 685

Abstract

Controlled quantum teleportation is an important extension of multipartite quantum teleportation, which plays an indispensable role in building quantum networks. Compared with discrete variable counterparts, continuous variable controlled quantum teleportation can generate entanglement deterministically and exhibit higher superiority of the supervisor’s authority. Here, we define a measure to quantify the control power in continuous variable controlled quantum teleportation via Greenberger–Horne–Zeilinger-type entangled coherent state channels. Our results show that control power in continuous variable controlled quantum teleportation increases with the mean photon number of coherent states. Its upper bound is 1/2, which exceeds the upper bound in discrete variable controlled quantum teleportation (1/3). The robustness of the protocol is analyzed with photon absorption. The results show that the improving ability of the control power will descend by the increasing photon loss, with the upper bound unchanged and robust. Our results illuminate the role of control power in multipartite continuous variable quantum information processing and provide a criterion for evaluating the quality of quantum communication networks. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quantum Information: Working Towards Applications)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

18 pages, 737 KiB

Open AccessArticle

One-Photon-Interference Quantum Secure Direct Communication

by Xiang-Jie Li, Min Wang, Xing-Bo Pan, Yun-Rong Zhang and Gui-Lu Long

Entropy 2024, 26(9), 811; https://doi.org/10.3390/e26090811 - 23 Sep 2024

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1098

Abstract

Quantum secure direct communication (QSDC) is a quantum communication paradigm that transmits confidential messages directly using quantum states. Measurement-device-independent (MDI) QSDC protocols can eliminate the security loopholes associated with measurement devices. To enhance the practicality and performance of MDI-QSDC protocols, we propose a one-photon-interference MDI QSDC (OPI-QSDC) protocol which transcends the need for quantum memory, ideal single-photon sources, or entangled light sources. The security of our OPI-QSDC protocol has also been analyzed using quantum wiretap channel theory. Furthermore, our protocol could double the distance of usual prepare-and-measure protocols, since quantum states sending from adjacent nodes are connected with single-photon interference, which demonstrates its potential to extend the communication distance for point-to-point QSDC. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quantum Information: Working Towards Applications)

► Show Figures

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Quantum Information: Working Towards Applications

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editors

Special Issue Information

Keywords

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

Published Papers (11 papers)

Research

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI