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Gerald Buller and Fabio Biancalana
Institute of Photonics and Quantum Sciences Heriot-Watt University Edinburgh EH14 4AS
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Heriot-Watt University
(near Edinburgh…) Union canal Heriot-Watt campus 1836!!!!
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Heriot-Watt University
Institute of Photonics and Quantum Sciences Formed 2012, combines physicists, mechanical and electronic engineers Now 28 academic staff, including 13 full professors 5 new academic starts since Oct 2012, 1 departure. 3 additional sets of interviews pending 35 postdocs 80 full-time PhD students 26 EngD research students seconded to industry
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Institute of Photonics and Quantum Sciences – Academic staff
Quantum Photonics and Quantum Information Gerald Buller Mats Jonson (part-time, shared Gothenburg) Brian Gerardot Sabrina Maniscalco Patrik Ohberg Kevin Prior Erika Andersson Jonathan Leach Brendon Lovett Marcello Ferrera Ultrafast Photonics Derryck Reid Ian Galbraith Ajoy Kar Mo Taghizadeh Fabio Biancalana Daniele Faccio Dave Townsend Robert Thomson Applied Photonics Duncan Hand Daniel Esser (SELEX Chair) Andrew Moore Bryce Richards Xu Wang Bill MacPherson Jon Shephard Wei Wang Howard Baker (part-time) Denis Hall (part-time) Emeritus (in residence) Carl Pidgeon Bob Harrison John Wilson Jim Barton
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(Integration potential)
Single Photons Gerald Buller Single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) detectors for the infrared InAs devices (Very low k) Ge–on-Si SPADs (λ ~ 1550nm) (Integration potential) Figure 1: Extremely low noise InAs APDs
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Quantum Digital Signatures
Single Photons Gerald Buller Quantum Digital Signatures Method of sending a message to multiple users which cannot be forged, with security verified by information theoretical limits and quantum mechanics E. Andersson, G. Buller (H-W) J. Jeffers (Strathclyde) Sending the same signature to multiple users and verify that the same signature was received and authenticate that it came from Alice. P.J. Clarke et al., Nature Communications (2012) DOI: /ncomms2172
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Single Photons Gerald Buller Single-photon detection
to measure time-of-flight to produce depth images. At kilometre range using a few photons per pixel in total. < 1mW average laser power used… Moved to λ ~ 1550nm With R. Hadfield (Glasgow) and Politecnico di Milano
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Condensed matter systems for quantum technologies
Brian Gerardot ERC Starter Grant 1) Quantum photonic sources for: quantum communication quantum imaging optical quantum computing |X> |0> Deterministic single photon emission 60 nm x 16 nm Self-assembled InAs / GaAs quantum dot Electron spin Strong interaction with nuclear spins 2) Long-lived spins for: quantum memories quantum repeaters / networks single photon transistors 3) Nanophotonic antennas... ... towards 100% efficiency. 200 nm |XX> |X> |0> Deterministic entangled photon pair generation ERC Starter Grant - In/GaAs quantum dot. Will get to 1550nm using InAs dots in an InGaAs well Regarding nano-antennas: we are trying several different approaches. One in the nanowires shown on the slide, where the QD sits in the middle (x,y) of the nanowire but near the bottom (z). Here the QD emission goes into a 1-D waveguide mode (supported partially in air), and the taper at the top allows the mode to adiabatically transfer into a plane-wave for easy collection by an objective lens. In principle, theory predicts collection efficiencies > 90 %. We’ve made great progress fabricating these so far and are just beginning to characterize them by PL. Other antenna implementations we will be working on are 1D waveguides in the x-y plane (rather than z like the nanowires) and also plasmonic designs (no progress yet though). Hole spin Ultra coherent spin
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Technology & Applications of Ultrafast Laser Inscription
Robert Thomson Unique fabrication capabilities: - 3D optical waveguides. Micro-optics, -mechanics & –fluidics. Cartoon of the Ultrafast Laser Inscription Process Multiphoton inscription – highly localised refractive index change Top: Schematic of a “Photonic Lantern” transition Middle: Sketch of an integrated photonic lantern. Bottom: Lantern output as the input coupling is varied Lantern output after injection of multimode light.
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Quantum information, quantum optics Erika Andersson
Quantum digital signatures: Theory and experiments With G Buller (H-W) & J Jeffers (Strathclyde) Nature Commun., Nov 2012 High-dimensional quantum entanglement with OAM of photons With M Padgett, J Leach (Glasgow) & G Buller (H-W) Nature Physics, Sep 2011 Quantum walks using optical feedback loops With C Silberhorn (Paderborn) Phys. Rev. Lett. 2010
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Quantum Optics Jonathan Leach 1. Direct wavefunction measurement
Full characterization of Polarization states of light via direct measurement, Salvail et al., Nature Photonics, 2013 3. Testing complementarity in the presence of post-selection Ongoing work with Prof. Bob Boyd and Prof. Gerd Leuchs 2. Entanglement based quantum communication technologies Experimental high-dimensional two-photon entanglement and violations of generalized Bell inequalities, Dada et al., Nature Physics, 2012 Quantum correlations in optical angle-orbital angular momentum variables, Leach et al., Science, 2010 Measurement technique for wavefunction detection – complex amplitude directly. Process has weak measurement – doesn’t disturb wavefunction Entanglement used for communication high-dimensional QKD Apparent violations of predictiosn of quantum mechanics in the presence of post-selection.
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Open Quantum Systems and Entanglement Sabrina Maniscalco
Laser-driven Quantum Simulators Quantum Correlations Non-Markovian Quantum Cryptography R. Vasile, S. Olivares, M. Paris, and S. Maniscalco, Phys. Rev. A 83, (2011) M. Borrelli, L.Mazzola, M. Paternostro, S. Maniscalco, Phys. Rev. A 84, (2011) L. Mazzola, J. Piilo, and S. Maniscalco, Phys. Rev. Lett. 104, (2010) Non-Markovian Open Quantum Systems Quantum Zeno Control Quantum Measurement Theory and Decoherence S. Maniscalco, J. Piilo, and K.-A. Suominen, Phys. Rev. Lett. 97, (2006) The main theme of the research of the OQSE group is the study of quantum systems (used for quantum technologies) in presence of environmental noise. More specifically we study 1) how to modify the properties of the quantum environment in order to reduce decoherence and loss of quantum properties (reservoir engineering techniques), 2) How to reduce the loss of entanglement and the decoherence by means of quantum Zeno effect, i.e., by performing measurements on the environment and/or on the systems. Our main expertise is in non-Markovian systems. These are systems exhibiting revivals of coherences due to the finite system-environment correlation time. We have shown that non-Markovianity, usually characterizing situations in which the frequency spectrum of the environment is highly structured (coloured noise), is a resource for quantum technologies, e.g. for CV quantum key distribution protocols. Also, non-Markovian dynamics allows to preserve indefinitely quantum correlations, due to the backaction of the environment on the system. J. Piilo, S. Maniscalco, and K.-A. Suominen, Phys. Rev. Lett 100, (2008) S. Maniscalco, F. Francica, R. L. Zaffino, N. Lo Gullo, and F. Plastina, Phys. Rev. Lett 100, (2008) P. Haikka et al.Phys. Rev. A 84, (2001)
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Quantum nanomechanics Quantum dots with B. Gerardot (H-W)
Quantum Optics and Cold Atoms Patrik Ohberg Artificial Electromagnetism Ultracold matter and quantum simulators with magnetism Quantum nanomechanics Quantum dots with B. Gerardot (H-W) Collaborators Hannover Frankfurt Kaiserslautern Vilnius, Paris Barcelona, NIST Ultracold gases such as atomic Bose-Einsteins condensates and degenerate Fermi gases are charge neutral. One can optically induce effective gauge potentials in these gases, which makes it possible to study the effects of orbital magnetism in the quantum gas. Typical effects that can be studied are quantum Hall physics, spin-orbit coupling in superfluids, non-Abelian dynamics, and also effects known from high energy physics such as quark confinement. Quantum nanomechanics Here we study nanomechanical devices such as cantilevers or nanotubes which are coooled down close to their vibrational ground states. We have for instance shown that by coupling two or more of these cantilevers to a cloud of cold atoms one can prepare pairs of cantilevers in entangled states by relying on decay mechanisms in the atomic cloud. This line of work was also highlighted in New Scientist in 2010. Quantum dots This is about doing quantum optics with quantum dots. Effects such as Electromagnetically Induced Transparence (EIT) and decay mechanisms using master equations are studied with in particular the hole spins in mind. This line of work is in close collaboration with Brian Gerardot’s group.
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Black Hole Physics in the Lab
Daniele Faccio Extreme Light Idea: To use lasers to recreate black hole event horizon in the lab (but without the black hole!!) Theory: S. Hawking 1974 black holes emit pairs of particles/photons: one is sucked in to the black hole one escapes outwards Input laser Mode Escaping from BH sucked inside BH wavelengths angles Measurements!! Phys. Rev. Lett.: “Hawking radiation from ultrashort pulse filaments” highlighted in APS Viewpoints
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Fabio Biancalana Photonic crystal fibres with longitudinal variations of parameters: avoiding Raman decorrelations A.Armaroli and F. Biancalana, Optics Express 20, (2012).
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Squeezing due to solitons in photonics crystal fibres
Fabio Biancalana Squeezing due to solitons in photonics crystal fibres Tr. X. Tran, Biancalana et al, Phys. Rev. A 84, (2011).
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Fabio Biancalana Twisted PCFs: new opportunities for nonlinear and quantum optics? Wong et al, Science 337, 446 (2012) & Xi et al, Phys. Rev. Lett. 110, (2013). Wong, Kang, Lee, Biancalana, Conti, Weiss, Russell, Science 337, 446 (2012).
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Black Hole Physics in the Lab
Daniele Faccio Extreme Light Idea: use laser to recreate black hole event horizon in the lab (but without the black hole!!) Theory: S. Hawking 1974 black holes emit pairs of particles/photons: one is sucked in to the black hole one escapes outwards Input laser “Positive” Mode Escaping from BH “Negative” sucked inside BH wavelengths angles Measurements!! Phys. Rev. Lett.: “Hawking radiation from ultrashort pulse filaments” highlighted in APS Viewpoints
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Fabio Biancalana Photonic crystal fibres with longitudinal variations of parameters: avoiding Raman decorrelations A.Armaroli and F. Biancalana, Optics Express 20, (2012).
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Squeezing due to solitions in photonics crystal fibres
Fabio Biancalana Squeezing due to solitions in photonics crystal fibres Tr. X. Tran, Biancalana et al, Phys. Rev. A 84, (2011).
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Twisted PCFs: new opportunities for nonlinear and quantum optics?
Fabio Biancalana Twisted PCFs: new opportunities for nonlinear and quantum optics? Wong, Kang, Lee, Biancalana, Conti, Weiss, Russell, Science 337, 446 (2012).
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