npj Quantum Information

npj Quantum Information is a peer-reviewed open-access journal focusing on research at the intersection of Quantum mechanics, Quantum computing, and Information theory. It publishes original research, reviews, and perspectives that connect experimental platforms such as Superconducting qubits, Trapped ion, and Photonic quantum computing with theoretical advances related to Quantum error correction, Quantum communication, and Quantum cryptography. The journal is part of the family of Nature-branded publications and interfaces with communities surrounding institutions like University of Oxford, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Max Planck Society.

Overview

npj Quantum Information covers topics spanning Quantum information science including experimental demonstrations from groups at Google Quantum AI, IBM Quantum, Rigetti Computing, and IonQ as well as theoretical contributions from researchers at Perimeter Institute, Los Alamos National Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, and University of Cambridge. Article types include original research articles, reviews, comments, and perspective pieces that engage with work from laboratories such as Yale University and Delft University of Technology and with frameworks developed at Harvard University and Princeton University. The editorial board draws expertise from award-winning scientists associated with prizes like the Nobel Prize and the Dirac Medal and from authors who have contributed to landmark projects such as Google's Sycamore and IBM Q System One.

History and Development

Launched in 2015 by Nature Research under the umbrella of Springer Nature, the journal emerged amid growing activity in quantum technologies driven by initiatives like the European Quantum Flagship, US National Quantum Initiative, and the Quantum Economic Development Consortium. Early issues highlighted cross-disciplinary collaborations linking work at Bell Labs, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, and National Institute of Standards and Technology with foundational theory from centers such as Institute for Quantum Information and Matter and Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. Editorial leadership has periodically changed reflecting networks across University of Waterloo, University of Tokyo, and Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH Zurich), aligning the journal with major conferences including QIP and APS March Meeting.

Scope and Editorial Policies

The journal solicits submissions on experimental platforms including Topological quantum computing, Spin qubits, and Neutral atom quantum computing, and on theoretical topics such as Quantum complexity theory, Quantum algorithms, and Quantum machine learning. It enforces peer review conducted by researchers affiliated with institutions like University of Chicago, Columbia University, University of California, Berkeley, and Imperial College London. Data and code policies encourage sharing via repositories used by groups at CERN and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, while ethics and conflict-of-interest standards parallel guidelines from bodies such as the Committee on Publication Ethics and funding agencies like the National Science Foundation and European Research Council. The journal's open-access license aligns with mandates from organizations including Wellcome Trust and Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

Publication and Indexing

Articles are published online continuously and are indexed in major services such as Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed Central, facilitating discovery by researchers at Stanford University, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, and University of Maryland. DOI registration is managed through agencies interoperating with CrossRef and the journal's metadata practices support aggregation in platforms like Google Scholar and Microsoft Academic. Special issues and collections have been organized around themes concurrent with symposia at Royal Society and workshops at Los Alamos National Laboratory, and the journal collaborates with conference organizers from IEEE and American Physical Society for commissioned content.

Impact and Reception

The journal has been cited by prominent research groups and has contributed to debates involving work from Shor, Feynman, and modern efforts by teams at Microsoft Quantum and Alibaba Quantum Laboratory. Its impact factor and citation metrics, tracked by entities such as Clarivate Analytics and Elsevier, reflect engagement from communities across Quantum optics, Condensed matter physics, and Computer science departments at leading universities. Reception in the research community has linked the journal to translational efforts in national programs like the UK National Quantum Technologies Programme and multinational collaborations exemplified by the Quantum Internet Alliance, while critics occasionally compare its editorial model to those of established outlets such as Physical Review Letters and Nature Physics.

Category:Physics journals Category:Academic journals established in 2015