Physical Review A

Physical Review A (PRA) publishes important developments in the rapidly evolving areas of atomic, molecular, and optical (AMO) physics, quantum information, and related fundamental concepts.

Spotlighting Synergies

Established in 1970, PRA is the journal of choice for the publication of research in AMO physics and quantum information. Bridging these traditional and emerging research areas, PRA’s authors and readers benefit from the widespread synergies between these fields. PRA coordinates with other members of the Physical Review family of journals to serve new subspecialties as they develop.

PRA publishes detailed research articles as well as Letters, which are short accessible papers of particular importance. The journal has a flexible approach to article lengths and welcomes submission of longer papers that provide depth and authority in their subject areas.

By Scientists, For Scientists

Like all of the journals in the Physical Review family, PRA is shaped by researchers to serve the research community. This commitment ensures that its mission and standards prioritize the needs of researchers and authors, not commercial publishing interests. The journal is international, with approximately four-fifths of published articles originating from outside the U.S. Physical Review’s reach is far and wide, with authors and referees from over 130 countries.

Editorial Board

The PRA Editorial Board is a diverse, global group of active, distinguished scientists, selected by editors in consultation with APS units and appointed by the Executive Editor. Board members serve three-year terms. They may be requested by the editors to advise at any stage of the review process and they serve as adjudicators in formal appeals.

Editorial Team

PRA is managed by a professional editorial team of Ph.D. scientists with extensive research experience at major academic institutions or research laboratories around the world. The team consists of both in-house and remote editors, who are active researchers in the array of topics published by the journal. All editorial decisions are based on PRA’s acceptance criteria.

High Visibility and Impact

PRA authors gain high visibility and achieve broad dissemination for their work in the journal of choice in AMO physics and quantum information. PRA editors bring attention to outstanding research and elucidate its importance through a number of features:

• Editors’ Suggestions: Selected papers are chosen as Editors’ Suggestions to direct readers to interesting, important, and well-written articles in areas of research beyond their usual interests. They garner, on average, more downloads and citations than other papers published in the journal and are more frequently covered by news outlets.
• Featured in Physics: Physics provides daily news and commentary about a selection of papers from the Physical Review collection, including those published in PRA, resulting in coverage such as Viewpoint: Liquid Light with a Whirl and Synopsis: Traveling with a Quantum Salesman.
• Publicity: APS promotes press-worthy papers from its journals to journalists through a weekly Tip Sheet, resulting in frequent coverage in industry publications and the popular press, such as Physics World and Business Insider.
• Social Media: Follow PRA on Twitter @PhysRevA.

Editorial and Publishing Policies

All Physical Review journals, including Reviews of Modern Physics, follow a common set of Editorial Policies and Practices, which cover Editorial Oversight and Decision Making, Authorship, Submissions, Resubmissions, and Transfers, Peer Review, Ethics and Research Integrity, Post Publication, and Open Access and Publications Rights.

PRA is published electronically one article at a time. The print version of the journal is published monthly. Articles are identified by volume number and a six digit article number, for example, Phys. Rev. A 61, 021013 (2000).