Quantum Integrated Nonlinear Technologies for Enabling Stable, Scaleable, Engineered Commercial Exploitation (QuINTESSEnCE)

This Fellowship application will provide support for a leading Photonics Engineering Academic, Prof Peter Smith, University of Southampton, to build a research team to address industry and academic led challenges in Quantum Technologies.

The project is entitled QuINTESSEnCE - standing for Quantum Integrated Nonlinear Technology Enabling Stable, Scaleable Engineered for Commercial Exploitation. This title reflects our desire to develop technology that will be stable and applicable in real-world applications, and move that towards developing a supply chain to take Quantum Technologies towards commercial reality.

The work will focus on building optical components and photonic manufacturing capability for the next generation of science and, by working closely with companies, to provide the components needed to underpin the application of quantum enabled technology to address a wide range of societal and economic challenges.

Two core technologies will be developed, the first being lasers that are exceptionally stable and low noise, and ideally suited for use in a wide range of science applications. The second technology will see the development of new optical materials capable of converting the wavelength (colour) of laser light, efficiently and cheaply. The approach will use high reflecting cavities to enhance the light fields, giving high conversion efficiency and, importantly, exploiting the laws of quantum science to create photons with unique properties.

The highlight of the project will be manufacturing demonstrators of our quantum enabled optical technology to take to companies and end-users that will act to prove their value. Two demonstration areas are planned, firstly detectors that will be able to see extremely low light levels in the infra-red without the need for expensive cooling to prevent noise. The second will be to use our lasers and cavities to show advantage in measuring optical fibre links while they are in use, improving data reliability on the internet and increasing down-load speeds.

Detectors and other devices will be based on fundamental quantum properties, in which two photons can be fused together to create a single photon with higher energy but preserving fundamental quantum information in the photons themselves.

This Fellowship proposal is for research that will develop new optical components and manufacturing techniques in conjunction with industry and the defence sector to enable the wide adoption of Quantum Technologies (QT) throughout industry, finance and society.

The potential benefits of Quantum Technologies are well understood; for example enabling new instruments to measure time, gravity, acceleration, electric field, magnetic field, and thus providing opportunity in synchronizing communications, in inertial guidance, for secure communications, medical imaging, improved security at ports and airports, etc. Further applications in simulation, quantum information processing and quantum computing offer the potential for solving new classes of mathematical problems, predicting weather, and improving financial trading and hedging of risk in the financial markets. However, underlying quantum applications require core technologies and, of relevance to this proposal, most implementations of QT require sophisticated optics and photonics; for direct control of atoms or ions and also for communication between qubits using fibre optic technology.

This Fellowship directly addresses gaps in the QT supply chain and will drive adoption by making components and devices available and providing compelling demonstrators of QT hardware.

The proposal is supported by industry and DSTL and combines basic manufacturing research with device development and technology demonstrators. Working closely with industry will help ensure that our technology development will be targeted towards commercial need. However, by also working with leading quantum science researchers we will make sure that our outputs are directly applicable to cutting edge science and we will be targeting the research market directly as it is likely to be the first market for Quantum Technologies. This engagement with cutting edge research will lead to publications that will showcase the exciting new capabilities we will create in this work.

There are two underlying technologies, firstly narrow line planar Bragg grating stabilized lasers, and secondly, nonlinear optical materials that will be incorporated into stable, robust high finesse cavities. The combination of these technologies will allow high efficient wavelength conversion to create new wavelengths and make sources of light that are fundamentally quantum mechanical in nature.

Later in the Fellowship we will make commercial grade demonstrators and take these to potential collaborators, both in industry and academia. We will take these demonstrators to trade shows, and will work closely with our partners to get wide-spread engagement. A key role in the project will be for an Industrial Engagement Coordinator, who will work with partners to build relationships and coordinate our research and outputs to maximum advantage.

The project team will be lead by Prof Peter Smith who is an experienced technology entrepreneur and will be joined by talented PDRAs who will carry out much of the technical work. With commitment for two PhD students funded from the University of Southampton, the research will provide excellent training in technology commercialisation and provide skills to the UK community.