Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Quantum Computing and Quantum Information team is making significant strides in understanding and optimizing quantum systems, with two papers published this month in Physical Review Letters and Science Advances.

The research, conducted by faculty in the Department of Physics, Applied Physics, and Astronomy, and Computer Science, explores how “entanglement paths”—the routes that link quantum particles—can be optimized to dramatically improve the design of large-scale networked systems, like IBM’s superconducting architecture and future quantum Internets.

“Entanglement is the spooky, space-time-defying correlation between quantum particles,” explains Assistant Professor Xiangyi Meng, a recent addition to RPI, describing it as “a fundamental resource that allows quantum particles to talk to each other, so they can perform complex tasks together while ensuring no eavesdropper can intercept their messages.”

This breakthrough is particularly timely with the arrival of the 127-qubit IBM Quantum System One on RPI’s campus, expanding the Institute’s research capabilities towards building lightning-fast computing and ultra-secure communications.

References:

Hu, X. et al. Unveiling the importance of nonshortest paths in quantum networks. Science Advances 11, eadt2404 (2025). https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adt2404

Meng, X., et al. Path Percolation in Quantum Communication Networks. Phys. Rev. Lett. 134, 030803 (2025). https://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevLett.134.030803