Press Releases

Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz visited the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering IOF in Jena today. As part of his inaugural visit to Thuringia, he toured one of the institute’s quantum laboratories and was given a presentation by researchers on the core components of a photonic quantum computer and state-of-the-art systems for global quantum communication.

As part of the QuNET project, researchers have demonstrated how quantum key distribution works reliably via hybrid and mobile channels. The results are milestones for sovereign, quantum-secured communication in Germany and have now been published in the renowned journal New Journal of Physics.

The German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology, and Space (BMFTR) has provided around twelve million euros in funding to the regional research alliance QUANTIFISENS in Thuringia. The results are positive: the alliance has developed new fiber- and quantum-based sensor technologies and further established the Free State as a center for specialized optical fiber technologies.

Researchers at Fraunhofer IOF in collaboration with Airbus have developed a hyperspectral spectrometer as part of the “Rainbow” project, funded by the European Space Agency (ESA). The technology enables the creation of digital field maps that can be used in agriculture as precise application maps for location-specific measures. Fraunhofer IOF will be presenting the system at the Space Tech Expo in Bremen from November 18 to 20.

The latest key experiment of the QuNET initiative was successfully completed today with a flight experiment between Oberpfaffenhofen and Erlangen. The aircraft formed a mobile node in a quantum network and established a connection to a ground station. There, the photons were successfully received and measured. The technologies from the demonstrated key experiment are groundbreaking for future secure quantum communication.

On September 29, young researchers were honored with the Applied Photonics Award 2025 for their contributions to future topics in applied photonics. The award recognizes outstanding scientific achievements and is organized annually by Fraunhofer IOF.

With Sentinel-5, the European Space Agency (ESA) is continuing its Copernicus program for climate research. The mission was successfully launched tonight. Once again, several optical components from the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering IOF are on board.

Laser communication promises data rates in the gigabit to terabit range - significantly higher than conventional wireless connections. Europe wants to expand its expertise in this field and install its own satellite networks in the future. Together with the companies TESAT and SPACEOPTIX, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering IOF have now developed a transmitting and receiving telescope for satellite-based laser communication, which could form the basis for such a network as a series product.

In summer 2025, the European Space Agency ESA plans to launch the MTG-S1 satellite from the third generation of the Meteosat series. The geostationary satellite will significantly improve the accuracy of weather forecasts for Europe. On board is a key component from the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering IOF in Jena: a high-precision diffraction grating. From June 24 to 27, Fraunhofer IOF will be presenting a copy of this complex optical component at the Laser World of Photonics trade fair in Munich.

Lithium niobate has long been a standard material for modulating optical signals, both in telecommunications and in laser amplifiers. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering IOF have further developed thin-film lithium niobate (LNOI) to build integrated optical circuits. This is a breakthrough for photonic integrated circuits that enable energy-efficient, fast and scalable photonic systems. The technology will be presented at the World of Quantum trade fair in Munich from June 24 to 27.