Alleima, formerly known as Sandvik Materials Technology, has worked with RISE and other partners on the projects Smarter Melt and RealSteel for nearly eight years. Together, they have developed technology for continuous measurement of the steel melt's temperature and chemical composition. The development has now progressed to the point where it can soon be introduced into Alleima's production.

"I believe we'll be there within a year," says Fredrik Sandberg, Alleima's R&D expert on production technology. "Then we'll achieve better productivity, more consistent steel quality, and also an improved work environment as we can avoid taking manual samples," he says.

These are not simple measurements. The melt, in its enormous kettle weighing many tons, maintains a temperature of approximately 1550 degrees. The temperature is measured by inserting a ceramic finger-like probe into the melt. A specially manufactured optical fiber connects the probe to a measuring computer. The challenge lies both in handling the heat and achieving accuracy in the measurements. Optical measurement of the melt also provides information about its chemical composition.

"In a metallurgical process, keeping track of the temperature is essential," says Fredrik. "Today, a lot of time is spent taking samples from the melt, bringing them to our lab, and having them analyzed. And it's not risk-free either to be so close to the equipment. Having continuous monitoring of the melt's composition saves time and reduces risks for our personnel."

In the long run, this also results in lower energy consumption and therefore reduced carbon dioxide emissions from the steel plant.

"I am very satisfied with our collaboration. RISE personnel are extremely competent, they have the right background and understand our industry. There have been many experiments, and they have always been very well prepared, and we've had good follow-up meetings afterward," says Fredrik. "We've done the project in many small steps, which I believe has been the key to success. I find it hard to see what we or RISE could have done differently," he says.

The collaboration with Alleima now continues, one example being a project for high-temperature fiber.

"It's about measuring in places where we don't want to have thermal cameras, for example by placing fiber on furnaces, in casting boxes, or in water tanks. The fiber is coated and lies in steel tubes, sometimes with fiber Bragg gratings," Fredrik explains.

Quantum technology is challenging our understanding of what is possible. By controlling and manipulating individual atoms, electrons and particles of light (photons), scientists can harness the fundamental principles of quantum mechanics to revolutionise the way we process information, measure, communicate and simulate complex systems.

Quantum technology falls into four areas

The technology is usually divided into four main areas: quantum computing, quantum simulators, quantum communications and quantum sensors - with applications ranging from advanced materials and energy efficiency to new ways of handling information. 

In quantum computing, for example, "quantum supremacy" has become a goal everyone is striving for; a paradigm shift where a quantum computer will, for the first time, perform a calculation that a classical computer cannot perform in a reasonable amount of time.

"Developments in quantum technology are very exciting to follow. On the one hand, it's groundbreaking technology, and on the other, quantum physics is so fantastically exciting, with phenomena we don't see in the classical world."

"There is also a lot of drama – claims of 'quantum supremacy' are made, other researchers try to refute them, while the goal is constantly being pushed forward," says Linda Johansson, Director of Nanotechnology at RISE.

It may sound like science fiction, but the fact is that first-generation quantum technology is already all around us - in GPS, lasers and atomic clocks, for example. Quantum computers are mainly used in research.

"Some types of calculations, especially in quantum chemistry and molecular simulation, can be done much more efficiently on a quantum computer. For example, drug development and the design of new materials can be revolutionised in ways that classical computers cannot," says Linda Johansson.

A strategic research area for Sweden

Second-generation quantum technology is now attracting the world's attention. In the research bill presented in December 2024, the Swedish government highlighted quantum technology as a strategic research area.

"It is believed that quantum computers could become important in chemistry, materials science, life sciences, logistics and finance. "A classic example is the travelling salesman problem – optimising routes, which is very difficult for classical computers, but where quantum computers can make great progress," says Linda Johansson.

"The travelling salesman is a classic optimisation problem where a salesman has to find the shortest route between several cities. Such problems are difficult for classical computers because the number of possible solutions grows exponentially. Thanks to superposition and quantum parallelism (see fact box), a quantum computer can process multiple solutions simultaneously and thus find the optimal path much faster."

Quantum computers will be used alongside supercomputers

However, quantum computers will not replace classical computers. Rather, they will be used alongside supercomputers in hybrid solutions, where the quantum computer performs specific calculations where it has an advantage. The possibilities are many, but it will be many years before they have a major impact on society as a whole.

A quantum computer needs an extremely stable and often very cold environment to operate - this is just one of many problems that need to be solved.

"Another major hurdle is that they are extremely sensitive and prone to miscalculation. This is why there is a lot of research into "error correction", i.e. how to correct the errors. "For quantum computers to become practical, advanced methods are needed to correct computational errors and reduce the error rate," says Linda Johansson.

Challenges with the technology

The technology itself poses challenges. For example, a quantum computer could break today's RSA-based encryption, which is virtually impossible for a classical computer to do.

Even if it is not yet possible, there is a risk that someone will collect encrypted information today in order to break it in the future.

"Therefore, we cannot wait to secure encryption. To meet this challenge, research is being carried out at RISE and elsewhere on post-quantum cryptography – algorithms that will withstand quantum computers – and quantum key distribution, which uses quantum technology to create completely secure encryption," says Linda Johansson.

Sweden has world-leading expertise in second-generation quantum technology, especially in superconducting quantum computers through WACQT (Wallenberg Centre for Quantum Technology). But other countries are ahead because they have made more concerted efforts.

"Other countries, such as Denmark, have built a strong ecosystem and managed to attract large companies. Sweden can learn a lot from them. We need to join forces between research institutes, universities and companies and invest in test beds and infrastructure. Small companies need support to scale up. RISE has an important role to play here," says Linda Johansson.

RISE has cutting-edge expertise in several areas related to quantum technology, such as standardisation, photonics, materials development, AI, fibre optics, quantum communication and algorithm development. The expertise covers both hardware and software, ranging from the development of quantum materials, quantum encryption and simulations to test and demonstration facilities for quantum technology.

Bridge between academia and industry

In early 2025, RISE won a pitch competition through the Quantum Sweden Innovation Platform (QSIP) to launch two projects to develop single-photon sources – one of which will be carried out in collaboration with researchers at Linköping University and start-ups PLT and Xtal Works.

"RISE acts as a bridge between academia and industry. We can help companies understand quantum technology, develop prototypes and drive innovation. We can also support governments, especially on issues such as quantum-secure encryption," says Linda Johansson.

How do you perform research in this area?

Within photonics and fiber optics, we have many scientific publications (see below), but also customers whom we support in their development work (applied research). Our customers are both Swedish and international, and the development projects often involve sensitive problems or new areas - we support, for example, the development of new types of sensors, processes, and material selection.

Here you can read about our offering, our services and our labs.

What kind of research is made?

An enormous amount of research is taking place in photonics, from various types of sensors, properties of light, to different quantum effects. Different international groups have their niches, where RISE builds upon its infrastructure/lab and studies areas and methods such as LIBS (Laser Induced Spectroscopy), DAS (Digital Acoustic Sensing), but also ventures into the quantum field, such as how we can extract information from quantum computers in the future, or how to measure humidity, temperature and pressure in challenging environments. Photonics is a broad field.
Customers often come to us with specific questions where we work on assignments of a sensitive nature, or we work with industry partners in publicly funded projects (EU, Vinnova, and others).

– Our motivations are different: some go to church, but for me, the lab is my religion. While others read fashion magazines, I am more drawn to scientific publications and TED talks. I work late, evenings, and weekends – that’s when you can be left alone and work undisturbed.

Qin was handpicked from a top institute in China to Lund University, where she conducted her research in solid-state physics. Coming from a family of doctors and scientists, Qin was a hardworking student, which allowed her in the 90s to choose where she worked according to the system in China. Professor Pär Omling and Qin discovered each other’s publications, which was not very common at the time. Qin is happy to have been Pär’s first female student, and her own career led to a professorship at KTH, which she holds in parallel with her work at RISE.

Qin emphasizes the importance of being the best and how tough the system has been for women, whom she often works with to promote within technology:

– Everything we do creates benefits for our daily lives, and we need inspiration and perspectives from all angles, which is why the whole diversity perspective is something I am passionate about, not just “Women in STEM.” At the core, everyone is equal, but we come from different backgrounds and educations, political systems, and beliefs, which makes team compositions exciting and allows us to inspire each other - Humans are the same.

Collaboration is a key to success, according to Qin - that it is not a "one-woman show" - but she is simultaneously proud to receive recognitions such as being invited into exclusive networks around, for example, ESA (European Space Agency). The projects she mentions as particularly important throughout her career are FSO and UltimateGAN, both far ahead of their time and where the results are still State of the Art. But it is not just the research itself that attracts her, but also a strong result orientation, where Qin, for example, mentions the implementation of an FSO at Airbus as a milestone - seeing research lead to concrete results.

One area that is attracting much attention and is often talked about, although few can yet grasp its extent, is quantum technology. Qin is working on the entanglement of the photon source in quantum-based chips, which can lead to entirely new types of sensors and components.