Defects in Solids for Quantum Technologies
Location: Budapest, Hungary
Organisers
The DSQT conference aims to bring together world-leading researchers in quantum science and technology based on solid-state qubits to foster cooperation and overcome disciplinary boundaries. It also emphasizes the promotion and career development of young scientists.

Form of the conference
DSQT2026 will be an onsite conference with only in-person participation. However, options to give presentations remotely will be considered if necessary.
Venue
The conference will take place at the Faculty of Science, Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, Budapest, Hungary.
Abstract submission
The abstract submission is open and closes on the 30th of March 2026 (23:59 CET).
To submit your abstract, first register for a CECAM account if you do not have one, and then click on the Participate item in the menu bar at the top of the webpage. Log in and complete the form using the instructions below.
Motivation: You may either leave this field blank or briefly describe the topics you are most interested in and your expectations for the conference. Please also indicate here if you would like to present a poster.
Your message: Enter your abstract here, or upload it as a PDF file. In the latter case, please leave this field blank.
The abstract should include a title, author information with the presenter marked, and the body of the abstract. It may contain references, funding information, and a figure. Minimal font size is 11pt, and the contents should not exceed one A4 page.
To upload your abstract as a pdf-file: Send in the form and then log in to Cecam at https://members.cecam.org/. Then go to the conference Cecam page by selecting it under "My events as a participant" (click the ”pen” symbol on the side). On the conference page, go to "Documents" and click the "Add a file" button. Upload it there, and it will be shared with the organizers.
Registration
Early bird registration opens in April.
The registration fee is 425 EUR for early-bird participants and 525 EUR for regular participants. The registration fee for early-bird PhD student participants is expected to be reduced upon securing sponsorship.
The registration fee includes admission to all the scientific events at the conference. In addition, it covers lunches, coffee breaks, the conference dinner and social events organized at the conference.
VAT information: Reverse charge (0%) for EU VAT number of the institute;
0% VAT for third countries with VAT number of the institute; 27% VAT for individuals and Hungarian participants
Contact
If you have any questions, you may contact us via email to dsqt2026-inquiry@wigner.hun-ren.hu
Hotel
Accommodation is not organized centrally; attendees are expected to arrange their own accommodation in Budapest.
Visa
If you need a visa to enter Hungary, please contact us well in advance so that we can prepare the necessary invitation letter.
Warning
We have been informed about several phishing attempts associated with the DSQT2026 workshop.
We want to emphasize that the organizing committee will never ask for your personal data (including your email address, bank account, or credit card number) via email for any reason. Please write to the organizers if you feel that you have received a suspicious email associated with the DSQT2026 workshop.
Information for presenters
Speakers
Invited speakers: 35 minutes talk + 5 minutes discussion
Contributing speakers: 15 minutes talk + 5 minutes discussion
Posters
The preferred poster format is standing "A0" size.
We recommend printing your poster before leaving for the conference. You may find printing services in Budapest where you can print your poster at your own cost.
Best poster award
The organization committee will select the "Best poster award" of the conference.
Invited speakers
Jean-Philippe Tetienne (Australia)
Paola Cappellaro (USA)
Romana Schirhagl (Neatherlands)
Ronald Hanson (Neatherlands)
Takeshi Ohshima (Japan)
Sen Yang (China)
Sam Bayliss (UK)
Arzhang Ardavan (UK)
Jason Smith (UK)
Fa-Zhan Shi (China)
Vincent Jacques (France)
Lei Sun (China)
Sophia Economou (USA)
Giulia Galli (USA)
Igor Abrikosov (Sweden)
Hosung Seo (Korea)
Geoffroy Hautier (USA)
Martin Plenio (Germany)
Yuan Ping (USA)
Cedric Weber (Australia)
More about the topic and philosophy of the conference
We are in the midst of a second quantum revolution based on harnessing quantum information, superposition, entanglement, and measurement for new tasks in quantum science and technology. Quantum computers have the potential to solve such problems that classical computers cannot address, quantum states allow for secure communications whose security is guaranteed by the laws of physics, and quantum sensing opens up new frontiers in resolution and sensitivity. These technologies are all built on controllable quantum systems with quantum states that can be used as fiducial quantum bit (qubit) states. Implementations of qubits include single atoms or ions trapped in vacuum or in a crystal lattice, superconducting circuits, single photons emitted from quantum dots, and single photons/spins associated with point defects in semiconductors [1,2]. A very important parameter of qubits is the coherence time that should be significantly longer than the operation time in the quantum information processing. In practice, quantum states are fragile and may be readily disturbed by external noise such as electromagnetic waves. This phenomenon can be turned to an advantage when qubits are applied for noise spectroscopy to sense very weak fields to enable quantum sensing.
Although the first intermediate-scale quantum computers are now being built and developed in industry, the winning platform is far from being established. Similarly, there exist commercial single photon sources, but none that are connected to quantum memories that would allow for scalable quantum networks, motivating immense activity in discovering and developing new platforms that could form the basis of a large-scale quantum network.
For quantum sensors, the leading candidate is the complex of a vacancy and a nearby nitrogen atom (NV center) in diamond [3–5]. These NV centers serve as optically addressable spin qubits with exceptional room-temperature coherence and sensitivity to magnetic and electric fields, strain, and temperature. Beyond their utility as standalone sensors, NV centers have recently enabled key advances in entanglement-based quantum science, such as the creation of entanglement between distant NV centers using spin-photon entanglement and heralded entanglement swapping protocols. These capabilities are crucial for quantum repeaters and distributed quantum networks, and recent demonstrations of Bell inequality violations with loophole-free configurations using NV centers have showcased their potential as foundational building blocks in future quantum communication infrastructures.
NV centers also play a central role in entanglement-enhanced metrology, where quantum correlations between multiple spin or photon states can surpass the standard quantum limit. Experiments have demonstrated the use of entangled NV ensembles and quantum error correction techniques to extend the coherence and sensitivity of magnetometers, opening the path toward practical quantum-enhanced devices for biology, geology, and materials science.
Solid-state defect qubits such as the NV center in diamond can offer quantum memories (e.g., electronic or nuclear spins), spin-photon interfaces (quantum communication), and ready integration into solid-state devices. Furthermore, realizing these qubits in technologically mature semiconductors such as silicon or silicon carbide is a promising way to interconnect semiconductor and quantum technologies in a single materials platform. In particular, silicon carbide hosts a family of color centers with NV-like properties but offers compatibility with existing semiconductor manufacturing infrastructure. Entanglement between defect qubits in SiC has also been pursued, with progress toward optically coherent emitters and spin control at telecom wavelengths, which is advantageous for long-distance fiber-based quantum communication.
However, scaling up defect qubits in three-dimensional materials is extremely challenging due to fabrication variability, spectral inhomogeneity, and integration difficulties. On the other hand, defect creation in two-dimensional (2D) materials or the synthesis of identical spin-active molecules in host matrices of spin-less molecules appear promising. These spin systems are of high interest for realizing defect qubit quantum computing platforms and quantum sensors [6,7].
The discovery of single photon sources and optically detected magnetic resonance centers in the two-dimensional (2D) material hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) [6–8] has triggered intense research. hBN is host to several point defects that exhibit spin-dependent optical transitions at room temperature. This positions hBN-based systems as contenders for on-chip quantum light sources and sensors. Current efforts focus on identifying the atomic structure of these defect states, improving their optical coherence, and integrating them into photonic devices.
In parallel, the exploration of alternative qubit platforms based on heavy elements such as rare-earth ions (e.g., Er, Yb, Eu) in crystals has gained momentum. These systems offer long-lived optical and spin coherence and naturally emit at telecom wavelengths, making them prime candidates for quantum memories and interfaces in networked quantum systems. Additionally, spin-orbit coupled heavy-atom defects can offer robust control schemes and intrinsic protection against decoherence.
An exciting frontier lies in the field of molecular spin qubits, where synthetic chemistry provides an unprecedented degree of control over qubit properties, including symmetry, spin-orbit coupling, and host environment. Recent progress in engineering single-molecule magnets, lanthanide-based complexes, and open-shell transition metal complexes has demonstrated long coherence times and the potential for integrating molecular qubits with photonic, electronic, and superconducting quantum devices. Molecular platforms also enable the development of scalable qubit arrays with atomically precise architectures, a prospect that merges bottom-up materials design with quantum device engineering.
References
[1] Gang Zhang, Yuan Cheng, Jyh-Pin Chou, and Adam Gali, Applied Physics Reviews 7, 031308 (2020). DOI: 10.1063/5.0006075
[2] Gary Wolfowicz, F. Joseph Heremans, Christopher P. Anderson, Shun Kanai, Hosung Seo, Adam Gali, Giulia Galli & David D. Awschalom, Nature Reviews Materials 6, 906 (2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41578-021-00306-y
[3] L. Childress, M. V. Gurudev Dutt, J. M. Taylor, A. S. Zibrov, F. Jelezko, J. Wrachtrup, P. R. Hemmer, M. D. Lukin, Science 314, 281 (2006). DOI: 10.1126/science.1131871
[4] Marcus W. Doherty, Neil B. Manson, Paul Delaney, Fedor Jelezko, Jörg Wrachtrup, Lloyd C. L. Hollenberg, Physics Reports 528, 1 (2013). DOI: 10.1016/j.physrep.2013.02.001
[5] Adam Gali, Nanophotonics 8, 1907 (2019). DOI: 10.1515/nanoph-2019-0154
[6] Toan Trong Tran, Kerem Bray, Michael J. Ford, Milos Toth and Igor Aharonovich, Nature Nanotechnology 11, 37 (2016). DOI: 10.1038/nnano.2015.242
[7] Andreas Gottscholl, Mehran Kianinia, Victor Soltamov, Sergei Orlinskii, Georgy Mamin, Carlo Bradac, Christian Kasper, Klaus Krambrock, Andreas Sperlich, Milos Toth, Igor Aharonovich and Vladimir Dyakonov, Nature Materials 19, 540 (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41563-020-0619-6
[8] Nathan Chejanovsky, Amlan Mukherjee, Jianpei Geng, Yu-Chen Chen, Youngwook Kim, Andrej Denisenko, Amit Finkler, Takashi Taniguchi, Kenji Watanabe, Durga Bhaktavatsala Rao Dasari, Philipp Auburger, Adam Gali, Jurgen H. Smet, and Jörg Wrachtrup, Nature Materials 20, 1079-1084 (2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41563-021-00979-4
References
Jin-Shi Xu (University of Science and Technology of China) - Organiser
Hungary
Adam Gali (HUN-REN Wigner Research Centre for Physics/Budapest University of Technology and Economics) - Organiser
Viktor Ivády (Eötvös Loránd University) - Organiser
United Kingdom
Hannah Stern (University of Oxford) - Organiser

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