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Editorial

In recent years, substantial progress, both experimentally and theoretically, has been achieved in various domains of quantum physics, most strikingly in the manipulation of single quantum particles. In July 2006 an international group of experts gathered in Durban, South Africa, to report on and discuss the progress in the manipulation of atoms, ions, and photons in different environments (cavities, atom chips, spectroscopic methods) as well as on theoretical modelling, furthering the description and measurement of composite quantum systems, e.g. entanglement and decoherence. Concrete realizations of some of these recent results in the context of the realization of quantum cryptography clearly point towards the emergence of future quantum technologies.

Given the success of this meeting, it was decided to invite the lecturers to contribute to a special issue giving a state-of-the-art overview of the main topics discussed at the meeting, and reflecting the diversity of approaches and concepts exploited to develop the new emerging quantum technologies. It is a pleasure to thank both the contributors and the referees for their joint efforts and commitment in realizing this special issue.

The meeting itself, "Theoretical and Experimental Foundations of Recent Quantum Technologies" was also intended to stimulate the interest of the young generation of South African researchers in the emerging field of quantum information processing and communication, both from the theoretical and the experimental side. It is a pleasure to thank the National Research Foundation, the Innovation Fund and the University of KwaZulu-Natal, as well as, iThemba Labs and IdQuantique for generous support and for making the meeting possible. We are indebted to the International Advisory Board, Prof. A. Kastberg, Prof. A. Leggett and Prof. A. Messina for their guidance in the preparation of the scientific programme. Finally, we are grateful to the junior members of the Quantum Research Group at the University of KwaZulu-Natal for helping with the practical organization of the conference.

Philippe Blanchard

BiBoS, Bielefeld University, Germany

Erwin Brüning, Francesco Petruccione

University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa