Quantum optics and photonics
Our research focuses on controlling optical properties of materials through hyperuniform disordered structure. We aim to identify new ways to control quantum dynamics in superconducting qubits, and novel non-linear optical effects.
Overview
The use of light to communicate and process information is widely recognised as the technology that will drive innovations in the 21st century across a wide range of areas, from information technology, energy and sensing to healthcare. So far, control of light flow has been achieved by carefully fabricating periodically structured materials, which can bend light, slow it down and stop it for a short time to allow processing steps to take place. However, due to recent advances in theoretical, computational and nano-fabrication capabilities, we are no longer restricted to well-defined periodic structures. Instead, we can construct complex systems made of apparently random patterns which, when suitably designed, can lead to performances superior to those offered by conventional photonic systems.
Our team based in the Advanced Technology Institute is leading the development of hyperuniform and local self-uniform disordered nanophotonic materials — novel classes of photonic structures in which structural correlations and disorder are accurately controlled with the aim to control light flow, enhance light emission, and construct novel types of nanophotonic devices.
Research Team:
For relevant publications in this research area, please consult the websites of the research team members above.
Funding:
Quantum optics in superconducting circuits
Superconducting circuits provide a highly tunable platform to study quantum optics in regimes that are difficult to access with natural atoms and optical photons. In this project we investigate the interaction between quantised microwave fields and engineered two-level systems such as transmon qubits, focusing on the emergence of quantum optical effects — photon blockade, squeezed-state generation, and non-classical photon statistics — in the strong- and ultra-strong-coupling regimes.
Our work aims to elucidate how light–matter interaction in circuit quantum electrodynamics (cQED) can emulate and extend phenomena traditionally studied in cavity and atomic systems. We employ analytical and numerical models of open quantum systems to describe dissipation, decoherence, and the crossover between quantum and classical radiation fields. This framework enables controlled exploration of fundamental questions in quantum optics, including the quantum–to–classical transition, the dynamics of dressed states, and the role of nonlinearity in generating non-classical light.
Beyond its conceptual importance, this research establishes a bridge between theoretical quantum optics and the solid-state realisation of quantum fields in engineered devices, offering new ways to probe fundamental quantum behaviour in a macroscopic circuit platform.
THz non-linear optics
Our research has revealed that doped silicon exhibits an unprecedented non-linear optical coefficient, capable of photon manipulation at levels unseen in any other material.
This characteristic allows for the conversion of photons, akin to the process in green laser pointers where invisible near-infrared photons are transformed into visible light. Although requiring cryogenic temperatures, we are exploring the potential of this effect in specialised spectroscopy systems and other high-tech applications where cryogenic cooling is already utilised.