Quantum Radio Antenna developed by the CeNT QOT team
16 10 2025
Category: Main page, Research highlights, Science news
A team of physicists from the University of Warsaw has developed a fully optical quantum radio antenna based on Rydberg atoms—an extremely sensitive receiver that requires no electrical power or metal components. The device converts radio waves directly into optical signals, enabling highly precise, non-invasive measurements of microwave fields. This innovation could be applied to electromagnetic field calibration and monitoring, telecommunications, satellite systems, and signal detection in environments where traditional antennas would cause interference. The technology, developed in also in collaboration with the European Space Agency, paves the way for miniature, fibre-optic quantum radio sensors of the future.
The publication in Nature Communications is the result of a team effort of Sebastian Borówka, Mateusz Mazelanik, Wojciech Wasilewski and Michał Parniak from the Quantum Optical Devices Laboratory and the Quantum Memories Laboratory at the Centre of New Technologies of the University of Warsaw.
The research is also one of the central results of the SONATA17 project, financed by the National Science Centre, Poland.
The “Quantum Optical Technologies” (FENG.02.01-IP.05-0017/23, 2024–2029) project is carried out within the Measure 2.1 International Research Agendas programme of the Foundation for Polish Science, co-financed by the European Union under the European Funds for Smart Economy 2021–2027 (FENG).
Experimental setup controlling a quantum radio antenna (photo by Michał Parniak, University of Warsaw)