1. Gerald Buller and Fabio Biancalana
Institute of Photonics and Quantum Sciences
Heriot-Watt University
Edinburgh EH14 4AS

2. Heriot-Watt University
(near Edinburgh…)
Union canal
Heriot-Watt campus
1836!!!!

3. 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

4. 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

5. (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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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.

10. 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

11. 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.

12. 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)

13. 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.

14. 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

15. Fabio Biancalana
Photonic crystal fibres with longitudinal variations of parameters: avoiding Raman decorrelations
A.Armaroli and F. Biancalana,
Optics Express 20, (2012).

16. 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).

17. 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).

18. 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

19. Fabio Biancalana
Photonic crystal fibres with longitudinal variations of parameters: avoiding Raman decorrelations
A.Armaroli and F. Biancalana,
Optics Express 20, (2012).

20. 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).

21. 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).