Erbium: From Ytterby to Quantum Futures

Join us for a deep dive into erbium, the rare-earth metal whose rose-colored salts color glass, power fiber-optic networks, and fuel precision lasers, cancer therapies, and nuclear control systems. We’ll trace its messy discovery in Ytterby, unpack why separating rare earths is so challenging, and explore how erbium enables key technologies—from 1530 nm fiber amplification to ER:YAG lasers and potential quantum computing qubits. Along the way we’ll consider sustainability and geopolitics, and glimpse the future across sensing, data storage, solar energy, and beyond.

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Sponsored by Embersilk LLC