| EPSRC Reference: |
EP/R002061/1 |
| Title: |
Atom-based Quantum Photonics |
| Principal Investigator: |
Hughes, Professor IG |
| Other Investigators: |
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| Researcher Co-Investigators: |
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| Project Partners: |
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| Department: |
Physics |
| Organisation: |
Durham, University of |
| Scheme: |
Platform Grants |
| Starts: |
01 October 2017 |
Ends: |
30 September 2022 |
Value (£): |
1,276,337
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| EPSRC Research Topic Classifications: |
| Light-Matter Interactions |
Materials Characterisation |
| Materials Synthesis & Growth |
Quantum Optics & Information |
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| EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications: |
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| Related Grants: |
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| Panel History: |
| Panel Date | Panel Name | Outcome |
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22 May 2017
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Platform Grant Interviews - 23 May 2017
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Announced
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Summary on Grant Application Form |
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.
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Key Findings |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Potential use in non-academic contexts |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Impacts |
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| Description |
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk |
| Summary |
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| Date Materialised |
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Sectors submitted by the Researcher |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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| Project URL: |
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