Special Issue on "Quantum Communications, Quantum Internet and Applications"

The goal of quantum communication and quantum internet is to develop and
demonstrate the feasibility of such networks and their applications in various fields,
such as secure communication, distributed computing, and simulation of complex
systems. There have been several major quantum internet projects worldwide in
recent years, supported by various research institutions and funding agencies. For
example, the European Commission has funded the Quantum Internet Alliance (QIA),
a consortium of research institutions and companies that aims to develop a quantum
internet infrastructure and demonstrate its applications in various fields. QIA is part of
a broader effort, the Quantum Flagship, a large-scale research initiative funded by the
European Union. Other efforts include the Quantum Internet and Networked
Computing (QuInC) project, which focuses on the development of quantum
algorithms and protocols for quantum networks.

Quantum communications and quantum internet are areas of study that are gaining
increasing attentions due to their potential to revolutionize the way we communicate
and exchange information. The use of quantum phenomena such as superposition and
entanglement in these technologies has the potential to enable secure, high-speed
communication that is fundamentally different from classical communication
methods. Additionally, the development of a quantum internet has the potential to
enable new, powerful applications in fields such as distributed computing and
metrology. As such, a special issue on these topics is necessary to bring together the
latest research and advances in this rapidly-developing field.
The scope of this Feature Topic is to showcase and emphasize the progress and latest
advancements in wireless (free space) quantum communication technologies,
implementations, and applications. Although submissions based on fiber-optical
settings are welcome, it is kindly recommended that the authors consider connecting
their findings to future wireless quantum communication systems for a better
contribution to the topic.

The topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
• Studies and models on free space quantum communication channels.
• Theoretical analysis of quantum communication systems.
• Hardware implementation of quantum communication devices.
• Coding techniques for quantum communication systems.
• Distributed quantum computation over quantum internet.
• Characterization of quantum correlations in quantum internet.
• Resource allocation framework for quantum Internet.
• Development of quantum algorithms and protocols for quantum internet.
• Quantum machine learning for quantum networking.
• Quantum key distribution networks.
• Various applications, such as distributed quantum sensing or quantum blockchain, for quantum internet.
• Benchmark of quantum communication devices.
• Continuous variable quantum communication.
• Theory and experiment in quantum repeaters.
• Experimental Prototyping and Testbeds of Free Space Quantum Communications.
Prospective authors should prepare their submissions in accordance with the rules specified in the Information for Authors of the IEEE Wireless Communications guidelines
(https://www.comsoc.org/publications/magazines/ieee-wireless-communicatio...). Authors should submit a PDF version of their complete manuscript to https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/ieee-wcm.

The timetable is as follows:
• Manuscript Submission Deadline: 1 June 2023
• Initial Decision Date: 1 August 2023
• Revised Manuscript Due: 1 September 2023
• Final Decision Date: 1 October 2023
• Final Manuscript Due: 1 December 2023
• Publication Date: 28 February 2024

Guest Editors
David Elkouss, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Japan.
(david.elkouss@oist.jp)
Min-Hsiu Hsieh, Hon Hai (Foxconn) Quantum Computing Research Center, Taiwan.
(minhsiuh@gmail.com)
Xiongfeng Ma, Tsinghua University, China. (xma@tsinghua.edu.cn)
Bing Qi, Cisco Systems, USA. (bingq@cisco.com)
Winston Seah, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand.
(winston.seah@vuw.ac.nz)