Journal profile · Physics, Multidisciplinary
Physics Letters A
ISSN 0375-9601 · Elsevier · NETHERLANDS · Weekly · Founded 1967
Physics Letters A: CAS Zone 3 · Physics & Astronomy (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.71; hybrid open access; APC about USD 2,150; review about 2.8 months (community reports); community-reported acceptance: easy (Elsevier website: 30%); 849 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Physics Letters A is published by Elsevier and is in Zone 3 of Physics & Astronomy in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Quantum Information and Cryptography, Cold Atom Physics and Bose-Einstein Condensates and Theoretical and Computational Physics, together about 18.1% of its articles. Its main subfields are Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics and Statistical and Nonlinear Physics. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Browse through a wide range of high-quality academic journals offered by Elsevier, including open access options, to enrich your research journey.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Physics, Multidisciplinary
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Quantum Information and CryptographyComputer Science6.1%
- Cold Atom Physics and Bose-Einstein CondensatesPhysics and Astronomy6.1%
- Theoretical and Computational PhysicsPhysics and Astronomy6%
- Quantum chaos and dynamical systemsPhysics and Astronomy5.9%
- Physics of Superconductivity and MagnetismPhysics and Astronomy5.9%
- Quantum and electron transport phenomenaPhysics and Astronomy5.7%
- Nonlinear Waves and SolitonsPhysics and Astronomy5.6%
- Quantum Mechanics and ApplicationsPhysics and Astronomy5.6%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Physics & Astronomy Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Physics & Astronomy | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Physics, Multidisciplinary | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Physics & Astronomy Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Physics & Astronomy | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Physics, Multidisciplinary | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Physics & Astronomy Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Physics & Astronomy | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Physics, Multidisciplinary | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Editions, and major and minor categories, are shown separately and never merged into one zone; check which edition your institution uses before you submit or report.
Metrics
Impact metrics and publication volume
Impact
- Impact factor
- 2.71LetPub ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 4.2LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.42LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.74LetPub ·
- h-index
- 159LetPub ·
- h-index
- 271OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 22,206OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 3OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 7.4%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 7.25%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 744LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 53,722 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 735 | 177 | 418 |
| 2025 | 849 | 136 | 3,025 |
| 2024 | 668 | 142 | 3,311 |
| 2023 | 463 | 131 | 2,979 |
| 2022 | 475 | 131 | 3,988 |
| 2021 | 564 | 180 | 5,844 |
Sources count differently and were observed at different times, so each source's own value is kept; "publisher" marks figures from the journal's website.
Review & acceptance
Review time and acceptance
- Average review time (community reports)
- about 2.8 monthsLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- 30%LetPub ·
Community reports come from authors' own submissions (confidence 0.5) and are not a promise from the journal; for publisher figures, the journal's own definitions apply.
Fees & open access
APC and open-access policy
Hybrid open accessLetPub
A subscription journal in which authors can pay to publish their article open access.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 2,150 / EUR 2,010 / GBP 1,720 / JPY 266,660 | — | — |
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Elsevier
- Country or region
- NETHERLANDS
- Language
- Multi-Language
- Frequency
- Weekly
- Founded
- 1967
- ISSN
- 0375-9601
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Physics Letters A
What CAS zone is Physics Letters A in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Physics Letters A is in Zone 3 of Physics & Astronomy, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Physics, Multidisciplinary. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Physics & Astronomy. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Physics Letters A?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.71; CiteScore 4.2, h-index 271.
How long does peer review take at Physics Letters A?
Authors report an average review time of about 2.8 months; the community-reported acceptance is “Easy (Elsevier website: 30%)”. Article statistics cover accepted papers only, publisher figures follow the journal's own definitions, and community reports come from authors' own submissions; none is a promise from the journal.
Which databases index Physics Letters A?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Physics Letters A is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Physics Letters A open access, and what is the APC?
Physics Letters A is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 2,150.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, Publisher website; every figure is tagged with its source and the date it was observed, and conflicting values are kept per source. LetPub source page: view ↗ (archived 2026-08-26). Last updated: .