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Quantum sensing

Early commercialmomentum 391,002 papers in 3 months (+12% yearly)$74M raised in 12 months21 companies

Devices that use quantum states of atoms or light to measure time, motion or fields precisely, or to link and secure networks.

Why early commercial: DARPA contracted IonQ in August 2026 to manufacture and deliver 125 optical atomic clocks for US government use. Aug 6, 2026

Papers per monthOpenAlex journal and conference papers; January includes papers dated by year only; the last two months are still filling in
0394788Sep 24Mar 25Sep 25Mar 26

Dots under a month: dated events tracked here that month.

23 events

DateEvent
Sep 2026
Sep 10NIST-Developed Quantum Sensors Improve Nuclear MonitoringNIST news· AnnouncementUnverified
Sep 10Infleqtion and Cisco partner on networked quantum technologyinfleqtion.com· Announcement
Sep 9SandboxAQ flies AQNav on Northrop Grumman's Lumberjack dronesandboxaq.com· Milestone
Aug 2026
Aug 27Q-CTRL demonstrates GPS-free gravimetric navigation at seaq-ctrl.com· Milestone
Aug 6DARPA selects IonQ to produce optical atomic clocksinvestors.ionq.com· Deal
Jul 2026
Jul 14Q-CTRL quantum navigation gets safety-of-flight qualificationq-ctrl.com· Milestone
Jun 2026
Jun 17IonQ launches Clavis XG Multiplex QKDionq.com· Product
Apr 2026
Apr 14IonQ photonically links two trapped ion quantum computersionq.com· Breakthrough
Feb 2026
Feb 26IonQ deploys Romania's national QKD networkionq.com· Milestone
Dec 2025
Dec 9Quantum Corridor and Toshiba run QKD across state lines on live fibertoshiba.eu· Milestone
Nov 2025
Nov 18SandboxAQ joins the DIU Transition of Quantum Sensing programsandboxaq.com· Announcement
Nov 5Geneva launches a citywide quantum networkinvestors.ionq.com· Milestone
Sep 2025
Sep 17IonQ agrees to acquire Vector Atomicinvestors.ionq.com· Deal
Jul 2025
Jul 14NIST aluminum ion clock sets accuracy recordnist.gov· Breakthrough
Jun 2025
Jun 12Nu Quantum unveils a rack-mounted Quantum Networking Unitnu-quantum.com· Product
Jun 11Orange and Toshiba launch a commercial quantum-safe network in Paristoshiba.eu· Product
May 2025
May 6IonQ completes acquisition of a controlling stake in ID Quantiqueinvestors.ionq.com· Deal
Apr 2025
Apr 23Toshiba runs coherent quantum communication over 254 km of German telecom fibernature.com· Breakthrough
Mar 2025
Mar 19Chinese microsatellite runs real-time QKD between distant ground stationsnature.com· Breakthrough
Mar 5Toshiba adds post quantum cryptography to its QKD systemstoshiba.eu· Product
Sep 2024
Sep 4JILA links a thorium nuclear transition to an atomic clocknist.gov· Breakthrough
Jun 2024
Jun 25SandboxAQ launches AQNav magnetic navigationsandboxaq.com· Product
May 2024
May 15Harvard and AWS entangle quantum memories across Boston fibernature.com· Breakthrough
About quantum sensing here
Sub-areas
Atomic clocks, Quantum navigation and inertial sensing, Quantum magnetometry, Diamond NV sensors, Quantum key distribution, Quantum networks and memories, Quantum gravimetry
Stage evidence
Early commercial, Aug 6, 2026: DARPA contracted IonQ in August 2026 to manufacture and deliver 125 optical atomic clocks for US government use. investors.ionq.com
Momentum
39 of 100: the mean of its ranks among the tracked fields for paper growth (50), funding in 12 months (0) and events in 90 days (66). Method
Papers
5,028 in the 12 months ending two months ago, +12% against the 12 before (OpenAlex topics, journal and conference papers).
Tracked here since
Sep 25, 2026

Changes to this field

DateChange
Sep 25, 2026Quantum sensingTechnology: Name, Quantum sensing (was Quantum sensing and networking)
Sep 25, 2026Quantum sensingTechnology: Added

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