Fraunhofer has opened a quantum application laboratory in Erfut, funded by the Thuringian Ministry of Economics, Science and Digital Society. The lab offers space and equipment for research and development work, production, tests, and offices.

Part of the project entails the prerequisites for construction, integration, and testing of components and systems for applications in imaging and sensor technology, the properties of which are based on the use of quantum physical phenomena. "Within the research infrastructure, for example, we will carry out fundamental experiments in the field of quantum communication between the Fraunhofer Project Center MEOS in Erfurt and the Fraunhofer IOF in Jena," said Andreas Tunnermann, head of the Photonics Center for Excellence.

As part of the High-Performance Center for Photonics, the lab will provide a dedicated research infrastructure for quantum communication that also enables third parties from business and science to test quantum network architectures and quantum network components in real communication networks.