Atom-based Quantum Photonics
Lead Research Organisation:
Durham University
Department Name: Physics
Abstract
The goal of this Platform Grant is to provide underpinning support for a range of activities at the Durham node of the Joint Quantum Centre (JQC) Durham-Newcastle. These are in the general area of the interaction of atoms with electromagnetic radiation (in our case, mostly visible light and near infrared, extending into the ultraviolet, microwaves and terahertz). The physical systems we study consist of either gas atoms in a heated container, or atoms cooled with lasers to within a millionth of a degree above absolute zero. They offer perfect opportunities for the detailed study and exploitation of quantum mechanics, in an accessible and easily controllable way. In addition to using light to understand the behaviour of the atoms, we have taken advantage of numerous opportunities to make optical devices based on our expertise in atom-light interactions.
This Platform Grant will enable us to build on our existing strengths by bringing together individually successful research themes and techniques. This requires a hybrid approach where currently separate experimental themes are brought together, made to work simultaneously, and extended into the quantum regime. Our vision for this adventurous challenge is to develop novel techniques within the domain of atom-based quantum photonics, with the aim being to make and manipulate photons (the elementary particle, or quantum, of light).
The 21st century has witnessed an explosion of research activity into manipulating individual quantum entities (single atoms, single ions, single photons...). This theme was the subject of the 2012 Nobel Prize in Physics, see http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/2012/. One of the most significant breakthroughs is the realisation that the mysterious quantum property of entanglement in addition to being at the heart of Einstein's "spooky action at a distance" was also a resource for the emerging field of quantum information processing. There is a drive towards harnessing the properties of single quantum entities such as qubits in a quantum computer, which could yield computing devices with unprecedented power exploiting the exponential scale up of complexity in a quantum system. Photons are the ideal mediators of quantum information between different nodes of a quantum device, and to interface with atoms in a quantum memory.
The results from our experiments will be incorporated into talks for the public and schoolchildren given by the investigators.
This Platform Grant will enable us to build on our existing strengths by bringing together individually successful research themes and techniques. This requires a hybrid approach where currently separate experimental themes are brought together, made to work simultaneously, and extended into the quantum regime. Our vision for this adventurous challenge is to develop novel techniques within the domain of atom-based quantum photonics, with the aim being to make and manipulate photons (the elementary particle, or quantum, of light).
The 21st century has witnessed an explosion of research activity into manipulating individual quantum entities (single atoms, single ions, single photons...). This theme was the subject of the 2012 Nobel Prize in Physics, see http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/2012/. One of the most significant breakthroughs is the realisation that the mysterious quantum property of entanglement in addition to being at the heart of Einstein's "spooky action at a distance" was also a resource for the emerging field of quantum information processing. There is a drive towards harnessing the properties of single quantum entities such as qubits in a quantum computer, which could yield computing devices with unprecedented power exploiting the exponential scale up of complexity in a quantum system. Photons are the ideal mediators of quantum information between different nodes of a quantum device, and to interface with atoms in a quantum memory.
The results from our experiments will be incorporated into talks for the public and schoolchildren given by the investigators.
Planned Impact
We believe that the research supported by this Platform Grant will have impact through many routes, some of which are short term and others long term:
1. Long term impact of knowledge generation.
The ideas outlined in our proposal are primarily, although not exclusively, of a fundamental, curiosity-driven science character. Thus the standard pathways to academic impact are via journal publications, conference presentations, seminars, and the like.
Much of our research can be categorised as providing basic underpinning science for the heavily promoted quantum technologies agenda. Such underpinning science is an essential base upon which engineering and implementing of future quantum technologies can be built, and the JQC provides and outstanding training environment to produce the personnel necessary for this enterprise to succeed. We achieve this training environment through frequent collective activities, including seminars, and regular group meetings where postdocs and students present and discuss their work.
In the field of "Quantum Physics for New Quantum Technologies" a major issue is scalability; thus there is a drive for miniaturization of devices. In the context of our proposal this means developing and fabricating bespoke optical devices based on compact atomic vapour cells. There already exist many devices which exploit vapour-cell technology, including frequency references, magnetometers, gyroscopes, frequency stabilization and atomic sensors for accelerometers and gravimeters. We will be mindful of opportunities to exploit any potential industrial applications of our research. Future quantum technologies are also likely to use atomic ensembles in quantum memories and quantum repeaters. The fact that the photons produced by atom-based single-photon sources are well matched to resonance lines of atomic vapours means that our work has potential impact in this field.
2. Supplying highly-trained personnel.
One of the significant routes via which impact will be achieved from this staff-centric proposal will be the through the training of personnel: largely the post-doctoral research assistants, and in addition postgraduates and undergraduates associated with the activity.
The researchers involved in the project will gain expertise in state-of-the-art laser techniques, photonics, computer modelling, computer interfacing, and use of analysis software, in addition to generic transferable-skills training.
We are very proud of our tradition of including undergraduates in our research activity, with internship places funded from a variety of schemes, including Durham University, EPSRC, BP, IASTE, and the Ogden Trust.
3. Outreach activities/societal impact.
We have a longstanding commitment to school outreach and public engagement, which we will continue with this project. This will take the form of activities at science festivals, school visits, hosting school visits to the laboratory, Saturday Morning Physics, and public lectures: for example, the JQC-organized public lecture and talk to local school children in 2014 by Nobel Prize Winner in Physics Professor Bill Phillips.
4. Longer-term impact on international profile of UK research.
We are hosting international meetings and conferences with increasing frequency, aided by highly professional in-house events coordinators (such as Event Durham), which raises the international profile of UK research, science and technology. As part of this Platform Grant we will organise and host a two-day meeting, AQPopen, to bring together researchers from the quantum optics community, as well as representatives of the UK National Quantum Technology Programme.
1. Long term impact of knowledge generation.
The ideas outlined in our proposal are primarily, although not exclusively, of a fundamental, curiosity-driven science character. Thus the standard pathways to academic impact are via journal publications, conference presentations, seminars, and the like.
Much of our research can be categorised as providing basic underpinning science for the heavily promoted quantum technologies agenda. Such underpinning science is an essential base upon which engineering and implementing of future quantum technologies can be built, and the JQC provides and outstanding training environment to produce the personnel necessary for this enterprise to succeed. We achieve this training environment through frequent collective activities, including seminars, and regular group meetings where postdocs and students present and discuss their work.
In the field of "Quantum Physics for New Quantum Technologies" a major issue is scalability; thus there is a drive for miniaturization of devices. In the context of our proposal this means developing and fabricating bespoke optical devices based on compact atomic vapour cells. There already exist many devices which exploit vapour-cell technology, including frequency references, magnetometers, gyroscopes, frequency stabilization and atomic sensors for accelerometers and gravimeters. We will be mindful of opportunities to exploit any potential industrial applications of our research. Future quantum technologies are also likely to use atomic ensembles in quantum memories and quantum repeaters. The fact that the photons produced by atom-based single-photon sources are well matched to resonance lines of atomic vapours means that our work has potential impact in this field.
2. Supplying highly-trained personnel.
One of the significant routes via which impact will be achieved from this staff-centric proposal will be the through the training of personnel: largely the post-doctoral research assistants, and in addition postgraduates and undergraduates associated with the activity.
The researchers involved in the project will gain expertise in state-of-the-art laser techniques, photonics, computer modelling, computer interfacing, and use of analysis software, in addition to generic transferable-skills training.
We are very proud of our tradition of including undergraduates in our research activity, with internship places funded from a variety of schemes, including Durham University, EPSRC, BP, IASTE, and the Ogden Trust.
3. Outreach activities/societal impact.
We have a longstanding commitment to school outreach and public engagement, which we will continue with this project. This will take the form of activities at science festivals, school visits, hosting school visits to the laboratory, Saturday Morning Physics, and public lectures: for example, the JQC-organized public lecture and talk to local school children in 2014 by Nobel Prize Winner in Physics Professor Bill Phillips.
4. Longer-term impact on international profile of UK research.
We are hosting international meetings and conferences with increasing frequency, aided by highly professional in-house events coordinators (such as Event Durham), which raises the international profile of UK research, science and technology. As part of this Platform Grant we will organise and host a two-day meeting, AQPopen, to bring together researchers from the quantum optics community, as well as representatives of the UK National Quantum Technology Programme.
Organisations
Publications
Usui A
(2020)
Spin-orbit coupling in the presence of strong atomic correlations
in New Journal of Physics
Spong NLR
(2021)
Collectively Encoded Rydberg Qubit.
in Physical review letters
Spong N
(2020)
The Robustness of a Collectively Encoded Rydberg Qubit
Robertson E
(2021)
ARC 3.0: An expanded Python toolbox for atomic physics calculations
in Computer Physics Communications
Ribeiro S
(2022)
Quantum emission of light with densely packed driven dipoles
in Physical Review A
Ribeiro S
(2021)
Collective effects in the photon statistics of thermal atomic ensembles
in Physical Review A
Reed D
(2018)
Low-drift Zeeman shifted atomic frequency reference
Reed D
(2018)
Low-drift Zeeman shifted atomic frequency reference
in OSA Continuum
Ponciano-Ojeda F
(2020)
Absorption spectroscopy and Stokes polarimetry in a 87 Rb vapour in the Voigt geometry with a 1.5 T external magnetic field
in Journal of Physics B: Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics
Pizzey D
(2021)
Tunable homogeneous kG magnetic field production using permanent magnets.
in The Review of scientific instruments
Pizzey D
(2022)
Laser spectroscopy of hot atomic vapours: from 'scope to theoretical fit
in New Journal of Physics
Peyrot T.
(2019)
Atomic vapor confined in a nanoscale geometry: From mesoscopic to collective effects
in Optics InfoBase Conference Papers
Peyrot T
(2019)
Measurement of the atom-surface van der Waals interaction by transmission spectroscopy in a wedged nanocell
in Physical Review A
Peyrot T
(2019)
Fabrication and characterization of super-polished wedged borosilicate nano-cells.
in Optics letters
Peyrot T
(2019)
Optical Transmission of an Atomic Vapor in the Mesoscopic Regime.
in Physical review letters
Peyrot T
(2018)
Optical transmission of an atomic vapor in the mesoscopic regime
Ogden TP
(2019)
Quasisimultons in Thermal Atomic Vapors.
in Physical review letters
Ogden T
(2019)
Quasi-simultons in thermal atomic vapors
Novo L
(2021)
Floquet engineering of continuous-time quantum walks: Toward the simulation of complex and next-nearest-neighbor couplings
in Physical Review A
Mathew RS
(2018)
Simultaneous two-photon resonant optical laser locking (STROLLing) in the hyperfine Paschen-Back regime.
in Optics letters
Mathew RS
(2021)
The Raspberry Pi auto-aligner: Machine learning for automated alignment of laser beams.
in The Review of scientific instruments
Logue FD
(2022)
Better magneto-optical filters with cascaded vapor cells.
in Optics letters
Liu Z
(2019)
Experimental tests of Bertrand's question and the Duhem-Quine problem
in European Journal of Physics
Khan M
(2020)
Sideband ground-state cooling of graphene with Rydberg atoms via vacuum forces
in Physical Review A
Keaveney J
(2019)
Quantitative optical spectroscopy of 87 Rb vapour in the Voigt geometry in DC magnetic fields up to 0.4 T
in Journal of Physics B: Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics
Keaveney J
(2018)
Optimized ultra-narrow atomic bandpass filters via magneto-optic rotation in an unconstrained geometry.
in Optics letters
Jiao Y
(2020)
Single-photon stored-light Ramsey interferometry using Rydberg polaritons.
in Optics letters
Jackson N
(2020)
Number-resolved imaging of $^{88}$Sr atoms in a long working distance optical tweezer
in SciPost Physics
Higgins C
(2020)
Atomic line versus lens cavity filters: A comparison of their merits
Higgins C
(2020)
Atomic line versus lens cavity filters: a comparison of their merits
in OSA Continuum
Higgins C
(2021)
Electromagnetically induced transparency in a V-system with 87 Rb vapour in the hyperfine Paschen-Back regime
in Journal of Physics B: Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics
Erdélyi R
(2022)
The Solar Activity Monitor Network - SAMNet
in Journal of Space Weather and Space Climate
Edmonds M
(2018)
Noise-free generation of bright matter-wave solitons
in Physical Review A
Edmonds M
(2018)
Noise-Free Generation of Bright Matter-Wave Solitons
Downes L
(2020)
Full-Field Terahertz Imaging at Kilohertz Frame Rates Using Atomic Vapor
in Physical Review X
Downes L
(2022)
Rapid readout of terahertz orbital angular momentum beams using atom-based imaging
in Optics Letters
Downes L
(2023)
A practical guide to terahertz imaging using thermal atomic vapour
in New Journal of Physics
Ding D
(2022)
Enhanced metrology at the critical point of a many-body Rydberg atomic system
in Nature Physics
Cutler T
(2020)
Nanostructured Alkali-Metal Vapor Cells
in Physical Review Applied
Title | ARC 3.0: An expanded Python toolbox for atomic physics calculations |
Description | ARC 3.0 is a modular, object-oriented Python library combining data and algorithms to enable the calculation of a range of properties of alkali and divalent atoms. Building on the initial version of the ARC library (Šibalic et al., 2017), which focused on Rydberg states of alkali atoms, this major upgrade introduces support for divalent atoms. It also adds new methods for working with atom-surface interactions, for modelling ultracold atoms in optical lattices and for calculating valence electron wave functions and dynamic polarisabilities. Such calculations have applications in a variety of fields, e.g., in the quantum simulation of many-body physics, in atom-based sensing of DC and AC fields (including in microwave and THz metrology) and in the development of quantum gate protocols. ARC 3.0 comes with an extensive documentation including numerous examples. Its modular structure facilitates its application to a wide range of problems in atom-based quantum technologies. |
Type Of Technology | Software |
Year Produced | 2021 |
Open Source License? | Yes |
Impact | Used by numerous international groups |
Title | Quantum and Nonlinear Effects in Light Transmitted through Planar Atomic Arrays |
Description | This DOI contains code used to produce the results in the referenced paper. The code calculates light scattering from ensembles of interacting atoms using linear, semiclassical, and quantum models. |
Type Of Technology | Software |
Year Produced | 2020 |
Open Source License? | Yes |
URL | https://zenodo.org/record/3924699 |
Title | Quantum and Nonlinear Effects in Light Transmitted through Planar Atomic Arrays |
Description | This DOI contains code used to produce the results in the referenced paper. The code calculates light scattering from ensembles of interacting atoms using linear, semiclassical, and quantum models. |
Type Of Technology | Software |
Year Produced | 2020 |
Open Source License? | Yes |
URL | https://zenodo.org/record/3924698 |
Description | Celebrate Science |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Celebrate Science is Durham University's annual three-day science festival; it celebrates Durham University's latest research with our local community, targeting 7 to 11 year olds and their families. Each year during the local schools' October half-term holiday more than 200 staff and student volunteers from departments across the University engage and inspire young people. In 2022 over 6,000 people visited the 'Celebrate Science' marquee. PDRAs and Investigators form this grant were involved in an activity to explain atoms, polarised light, and spectra. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018,2019,2022 |
URL | https://www.dur.ac.uk/celebrate.science/ |