The ASPHERE nanoscience measurement station at the PETRA III beamline P04. (Image: Heiner Müller-Elsner, DESY)
Using ultra-precise X-ray light from synchrotron and free-electron laser facilities, researchers are opening a new gateway to next-generation quantum technologies. An international team involving Helmholtz centres including DESY, European large-scale facilities, and leading universities shows in a recent publication in Advanced Functional Materials how cutting-edge X-ray methods can overcome key obstacles in quantum device development.
Whether superconducting qubits, spin noise in semiconductors, single-atom qubits, or exotic topological states – all rely on extremely fragile quantum effects. Tiny material defects or minute strains can already compromise their performance. This is precisely where synchrotron radiation comes into play: it reveals what was previously invisible.
Today’s X-ray techniques allow researchers to probe nanometre-scale structures, chemical states of individual atoms, magnetic properties, and even device function under real operating conditions – non-destructively and with unprecedented precision. This makes it possible, for example, to identify loss-inducing oxide layers in superconducting qubits, detect individual dopant atoms, or visualise local strain fields in semiconductor nanostructures.
The study also highlights how X-ray quantum optics is opening new experimental frontiers and how quantum computing, in turn, may accelerate data analysis at large-scale photon facilities.
“X-ray light is becoming a key tool of the quantum era,” says Britta Redlich, DESY Director for Photon Science. “It not only helps us understand the building blocks of future quantum computers – it enables us to improve them.”
Through the synergy of Europe’s leading research infrastructures and advanced photon sources, a new scientific bridge is emerging: “X-rays for Quantum” – a cornerstone for the next generation of quantum technologies.
(Partly from DESY news)
Reference:
O. Rader, S. Pascarelli, K. Attenkofer, A. A. Makarova, K. Holldack, K. Rossnagel, K. Temst, G. Kourousias, S. Carretta, C. Biscari and H. Dosch, Synchrotron Radiation for Quantum Technology, Adv. Funct. Mater. (2025) DOI: 10.1002/adfm.202501043
Further information:
A new edition of the LEAPS 'Hitchhiker's Guide to synchrotron and FEL light sources for quantum technology' is available including PETRA III and FLASH beamlines (2025).
