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Topic · Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics

Quantum optics and atomic interactions

Quantum optics and atomic interactions is a research topic within Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics. Science Explorer counts 35k research works in it since 1950. 9.9% of them reached the world's top 10% most cited for their field and year.

This cluster of papers focuses on the phenomenon of slow light propagation and quantum memory in coherent media, particularly using techniques such as electromagnetically induced transparency, optical quantum memory, and photon storage in atomic ensembles. The research explores applications in ultraslow pulses, optical bistability, and quantum entanglement, often involving photonic crystal structures.

  • Electromagnetically Induced Transparency
  • Slow Light
  • Quantum Memory
  • Coherent Optical Media
  • Atomic Ensembles
  • Photon Storage
  • Ultraslow Pulses
  • Optical Bistability
  • Quantum Entanglement
  • Photonic Crystal
Research works
35k
fractional, since 1950
In the world top 10%
3.4k
per year above
Top-10% rate
9.9%
share of its works in the world top 10%
Growth, 2018-21 → 2022-25
+13%
the tick is no change
Largest producer
China
41% of the 10 largest, 2022-now
Quantum optics and atomic interactions

Which countries lead Quantum optics and atomic interactions research?

By volume, China and the United States publish the most (1.5k and 680 works in 2022-now).

By volume, 2022-now

  1. 1 China 1.5k works
  2. 2 United States 680 works
  3. 3 Russia 286 works
  4. 4 Germany 254 works
  5. 5 India 211 works
  6. 6 France 183 works
  7. 7 Japan 165 works
  8. 8 United Kingdom 137 works
  9. 9 Italy 103 works
  10. 10 Canada 83 works

How concentrated that is

The same countries as shares of everything the list above accounts for. A node where two countries do two thirds of the work and one spread evenly across twelve read alike as a ranking and not at all alike here.

China: 41.5%United States: 18.9%Russia: 8.0%Germany: 7.1%6 others listed: 24.6%41%largest
China1,492 · 41.5%United States680 · 18.9%Russia286 · 8.0%Germany254 · 7.1%6 others listed883 · 24.6%

Shares of the rows listed above, not of the whole node.

Which institutions lead Quantum optics and atomic interactions research?

By volume in 2022-now, Russian Academy of Sciences publishes the most Quantum optics and atomic interactions research, followed by Chinese Academy of Sciences and Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique.

By volume, 2022-now

  1. 1 Russian Academy of SciencesRussia 102 works
  2. 2 Chinese Academy of SciencesChina 101 works
  3. 3 Centre National de la Recherche ScientifiqueFrance 95 works
  4. 4 Beihang UniversityChina 76 works
  5. 5 University of Science and Technology of ChinaChina 53 works
  6. 6 Shanxi UniversityChina 51 works
  7. 7 Peking UniversityChina 35 works
  8. 8 Hefei UniversityChina 34 works
  9. 9 Xi'an Jiaotong UniversityChina 30 works
  10. 10 Nanjing University of Posts and TelecommunicationsChina 29 works

Who are the leading researchers in Quantum optics and atomic interactions?

The most-cited researchers publishing on Quantum optics and atomic interactions include Kostya S. Novoselov, Wei Huang and Gordon Brent Mills.

  1. 1 Kostya S. Novoselov United Kingdom 331k citations
  2. 2 Wei Huang China 267k citations
  3. 3 Gordon Brent Mills United States 265k citations
  4. 4 Xiaogang Wang China 260k citations
  5. 5 Kenji Watanabe Japan 237k citations
  6. 6 Donald G. Truhlar United States 230k citations
  7. 7 Takashi Taniguchi Japan 227k citations
  8. 8 Kai You Wang China 224k citations

Ranked by citations received across their whole record, among researchers with at least three works on this topic.

What are the most cited papers in Quantum optics and atomic interactions?

The most cited paper in Quantum optics and atomic interactions is "Special points for Brillouin-zone integrations" (Hendrik J. Monkhorst, J.D. Pack, 1976), with 71,952 citations. Next come "Inhibited Spontaneous Emission in Solid-State Physics and Electronics" (14,068) and "Optical Absorption Intensities of Rare-Earth Ions" (8,097).

Most cited papers
#PaperReleasedCitations
1 Special points for Brillouin-zone integrations Hendrik J. Monkhorst, J.D. Pack · Physical review. B, Solid state 15 Jun 1976 71,952
2 Inhibited Spontaneous Emission in Solid-State Physics and Electronics Eli Yablonovitch · Physical Review Letters Open access 18 May 1987 14,068
3 Optical Absorption Intensities of Rare-Earth Ions B. R. Judd · Physical Review Aug 1962 8,097
4 Coherence in Spontaneous Radiation Processes R. H. Dicke · Physical Review Open access 1954 7,522
5 Intensities of Crystal Spectra of Rare-Earth Ions G. S. Ofelt · The Journal of Chemical Physics Aug 1962 7,517
All 100 most cited papers, with filters and sorting

Where is Quantum optics and atomic interactions research done?

The largest centres of Quantum optics and atomic interactions research in 2022-now are Beijing (China), Hefei (China), Moscow (Russia) and Shanghai (China). Among places with at least 20 works in it, it is an unusually large share of all research in Gaithersburg.

Largest cities, 2022-now

  1. 1 BeijingChina 319 works
  2. 2 HefeiChina 114 works
  3. 3 MoscowRussia 106 works
  4. 4 ShanghaiChina 93 works
  5. 5 Xi'anChina 80 works
  6. 6 NanjingChina 80 works
  7. 7 ParisFrance 74 works
  8. 8 TaiyuanChina 73 works
  9. 9 HangzhouChina 67 works
  10. 10 TokyoJapan 67 works

Where it is the local speciality

  1. GaithersburgUS · 24.2 works26×
← less than its size predicts1×more →

Location quotient: how much more of its research is in Quantum optics and atomic interactions than the world average.

See Quantum optics and atomic interactions on the map

Where is the best place to study Quantum optics and atomic interactions?

Among universities, judged by research, Beihang University, University of Science and Technology of China and California Institute of Technology score highest, combining excellence, specialisation, size, growth and international reach. Research strength is one signal when choosing where to study; it does not measure teaching.

0%20%40%mean 21.97%fractional works in this field (log) →share of work in the world top 10% →California Institute…Beihang UniversityMassachusetts Instit…University of Scienc…
above the meannear itbelow it

One dot per university in the first ten of the table below, at the default weights. The upper left is the interesting corner: small places doing unusually strong work.

Excellenceshare of its work in the world top 10%, 2022-now and all time averaged
40%
Specialisationhow much of its work is in this field, counted up to 10× the world share
10%
Sizeits output in this field, on a log scale
30%
Growthoutput growth, counted from -20% to +20%
10%
Internationalshare of its work with a co-author abroad
10%
Each slider sets a weight; the share it gets of the score is beside it.
#UniversityScoreTop 10%SpecialisationWorksGrowth
1Beihang UniversityChina 73.818.5%16.9×76 +141.1%
2University of Science and Technology of ChinaChina 64.016.9%10.9×53 +15.4%
3California Institute of TechnologyUnited States 62.821.9%12.7×19 +20.1%
4Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyUnited States 62.218.4%7.8×22 +64.3%
5Harvard UniversityUnited States 59.831.4%1.0×13 +16.7%
6Delft University of TechnologyNetherlands 59.325.0%4.5×12 +76.3%
7ETH ZurichSwitzerland 59.025.0%4.3×12 +12.4%
8Hefei UniversityChina 57.117.6%84.2×34 -
9Weizmann Institute of ScienceIsrael 56.220.7%22.0×13 +39.2%
10Hunan UniversityChina 55.824.3%3.1×9 +41.1%

Universities only. The score blends excellence (40%), size (30%), specialisation (10%), growth (10%), international reach (10%), 2022-now; growth compares 2018-21 with 2022-25 and counts up to +20%, since a jump from a small base is mostly noise.

Every institution in Quantum optics and atomic interactions, country by country

Is Quantum optics and atomic interactions research growing?

Output in 2022-2025 was 13% higher than in 2018-2021, peaking in 2025. The fastest-growing topics are Quantum optics and atomic interactions.

still counting19801990200020102020
grewheldshrank

The same series as a ribbon: one cell per year, darker for more. The line above answers how much; this answers when.

Its share of all research

Growing output can still be a shrinking share: all of science grows. This is Quantum optics and atomic interactions as a percentage of every work published that year, 0.019% in 2024.

still counting0.025%0.050%0.075%Quantum optics and atomic interactions0.020% in 202519801990200020102020

Fractional works of Quantum optics and atomic interactions over all fractional works that year. How the balance of science has shifted.

How much of it reaches the world top 10%

Year by year.

still counting5%10%15%Quantum optics and atomic interactions9.8% in 2025200020102020

Of each year's works in it, the share that reached the world's 10% most cited for their field and year. A field is the world for its own topics, so there is no other line to hold it against.

Which topics inside it are moving

Growth and decline on one axis around a shared zero. Two lists side by side hide the thing that matters: whether the growth dwarfs the decline, or the other way round.

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