Energy-time and time-bin entanglement: past, present and future

Abstract Entanglement is a key resource in many quantum information tasks. From a fundamental perspective entanglement is at the forefront of major philosophical discussions advancing our understanding of nature. An experimental scheme was proposed in 1989 by Franson that exploited the unpredictabil...

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Main Authors: Guilherme B. Xavier, Jan-Åke Larsson, Paolo Villoresi, Giuseppe Vallone, Adán Cabello
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-07-01
Series:npj Quantum Information
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41534-025-01072-3
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author Guilherme B. Xavier
Jan-Åke Larsson
Paolo Villoresi
Giuseppe Vallone
Adán Cabello
author_facet Guilherme B. Xavier
Jan-Åke Larsson
Paolo Villoresi
Giuseppe Vallone
Adán Cabello
author_sort Guilherme B. Xavier
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Entanglement is a key resource in many quantum information tasks. From a fundamental perspective entanglement is at the forefront of major philosophical discussions advancing our understanding of nature. An experimental scheme was proposed in 1989 by Franson that exploited the unpredictability in the generation time of a photon pair in order to produce a then new form of quantum entanglement, known as energy-time entanglement. A later modification gave rise to the very popular time-bin entanglement, an important cornerstone in many real-world quantum communication applications. Both forms of entanglement have radically pushed forward our understanding of quantum mechanics throughout the 1990s and 2000s. A decade later modifications to the original proposals were proposed and demonstrated, which opens the path for the highly sought-after device-independence capability for entanglement certification, with a goal of ultra-secure quantum communication. In this review we cover the beginnings of energy-time and time-bin entanglement, many key experiments that expanded our understanding of what was achievable in quantum information experiments all the way down to modern demonstrations based on new technological advances. We will then point out to the future discussing the important place that energy-time and time-bin entanglement will have in upcoming quantum networks and novel protocols based on nonlocality.
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institution Kabale University
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spelling doaj-art-0df420db131441dc9abfb71d8804edaa2025-08-20T03:43:14ZengNature Portfolionpj Quantum Information2056-63872025-07-0111112310.1038/s41534-025-01072-3Energy-time and time-bin entanglement: past, present and futureGuilherme B. Xavier0Jan-Åke Larsson1Paolo Villoresi2Giuseppe Vallone3Adán Cabello4Institutionen för Systemteknik, Linköpings UniversitetInstitutionen för Systemteknik, Linköpings UniversitetIstituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN)–Sezione di PadovaIstituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN)–Sezione di PadovaDepartamento de Física Aplicada II, Universidad de SevillaAbstract Entanglement is a key resource in many quantum information tasks. From a fundamental perspective entanglement is at the forefront of major philosophical discussions advancing our understanding of nature. An experimental scheme was proposed in 1989 by Franson that exploited the unpredictability in the generation time of a photon pair in order to produce a then new form of quantum entanglement, known as energy-time entanglement. A later modification gave rise to the very popular time-bin entanglement, an important cornerstone in many real-world quantum communication applications. Both forms of entanglement have radically pushed forward our understanding of quantum mechanics throughout the 1990s and 2000s. A decade later modifications to the original proposals were proposed and demonstrated, which opens the path for the highly sought-after device-independence capability for entanglement certification, with a goal of ultra-secure quantum communication. In this review we cover the beginnings of energy-time and time-bin entanglement, many key experiments that expanded our understanding of what was achievable in quantum information experiments all the way down to modern demonstrations based on new technological advances. We will then point out to the future discussing the important place that energy-time and time-bin entanglement will have in upcoming quantum networks and novel protocols based on nonlocality.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41534-025-01072-3
spellingShingle Guilherme B. Xavier
Jan-Åke Larsson
Paolo Villoresi
Giuseppe Vallone
Adán Cabello
Energy-time and time-bin entanglement: past, present and future
npj Quantum Information
title Energy-time and time-bin entanglement: past, present and future
title_full Energy-time and time-bin entanglement: past, present and future
title_fullStr Energy-time and time-bin entanglement: past, present and future
title_full_unstemmed Energy-time and time-bin entanglement: past, present and future
title_short Energy-time and time-bin entanglement: past, present and future
title_sort energy time and time bin entanglement past present and future
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41534-025-01072-3
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AT paolovilloresi energytimeandtimebinentanglementpastpresentandfuture
AT giuseppevallone energytimeandtimebinentanglementpastpresentandfuture
AT adancabello energytimeandtimebinentanglementpastpresentandfuture