Future graduate students

IQC Colloquium/IEEE-SSCS Distinguished Lecture - René-Jean Essiambre, Nokia/Bell Labs

University of Waterloo, 200 University Ave W. Waterloo, QNC 0101

The first part of this presentation will provide a brief overview of optical technologies that enabled high-capacity fiber-optic communication systems, from single-mode fibers to fibers supporting multiple spatial modes. A perspective on the evolution of high-capacity systems will be discussed. The second part of the talk will focus on power-e ciency optical detection systems. More specifically, we will describe an experimental demonstration of a system operating at 12.5 bits/photon with optical clock transmission and recovery on free-running transmitters and receivers.

About René-Jean Essiambre Dr. Essiambre worked in the areas of fiber lasers, nonlinear fiber optics, advanced modulation formats, space-division multiplexing, information theory, and high-photon-e ciency systems. He participated in the design of commercial fiber-optic communication systems where several of his inventions were implemented. He has given over 150 invited talks and helped prepare and delivered the 2018 Physics Nobel Prize Lecture on behalf of Arthur Ashkin. He served on or chaired many conference committees, including OFC, ECOC, CLEO, and IPC. He received the 2005 Engineering Excellence Award from OPTICA and is a fellow of the IEEE, OPTICA, IAS-TUM, and Bell Labs. He was President of the IEEE Photonics Society (2022-2023) and is currently the Past-President (2024-2025).

IQC Colloquium - Daniel Carney, Berkeley Labs

200 University Ave. W. Waterloo Ontario, QNC 0101

The search for new fundamental physics -- particles, fields, new objects in the sky, etc -- requires a relentless supply of more and more sensitive detection modalities. Experiments looking for new physics are starting to regularly encounter noise sources generated by the quantum mechanics of measurement itself. This noise now needs to be engineered away. The search for gravitational waves with LIGO, and their recent use of squeezed light, provides perhaps the most famous example. More broadly, searches for various dark matter candidates, precision nuclear physics, and even tests of the quantization of gravity are all now working within this quantum-limited regime of measurement. In this talk, I will give an overview of this set of ideas, focusing on activity going on now and what can plausibly be achieved within the next decade or so.

En francais

Since 2017, the Quantum Quest Seed Fund (QQSF) has awarded more than $2.88 million to quantum researchers across the University of Waterloo. This winter’s round of funding has been awarded to three Waterloo professors, as they explore and innovate new ideas and applications for quantum devices.

En francais

What do you do when your lab space is too small to test the distance requirements for a new long-range sensor and detector in development? Alex Maierean and Luke Neal, graduate students at the Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC) recently navigated this challenge for their latest project.

Their project is looking to advance one application of quantum sensing by incorporating techniques from quantum key distribution into light detection and ranging (LiDAR) sensors. These sensors are commonly used without quantum components for a wide variety of applications, including 3-dimensional imaging for self-driving vehicles, but have a very limited range and require bright laser beams with many photons to take a measurement.

En francais

Federal funding will accelerate quantum startups’ products and solutions for domestic and global markets.

The Government of Canada announced on February 22 it is investing more than $17.2 million in funding through the Regional Quantum Initiative to support startup companies in Southern Ontario’s quantum technology sector, including two companies that have spun out from the University of Waterloo, High Q Technologies Inc., with an investment of $3.7 million and Foqus Technologies Inc., with an investment of $601,975.

En francais

Researchers from IQC, MIT, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have developed a technique for better identification and control of microscopic defects in diamond, as detailed in PRX Quantum, paving the way for the creation of larger qubit systems for enhanced quantum sensing. This breakthrough, led by Alexandre Cooper-Roy, represents a significant advancement in quantum sensing, offering potential revolutionary impacts across various industries and scientific fields.

En francais

Congratulations to Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC) faculty members Dr. David Cory, Dr. Thomas Jennewein and Dr. Chris Wilson, who have each received approximately $3 million in funding for advancing their research into the real-world applications of quantum technology.

En francais

Researchers at the Institute for Quantum Computing are leading Canada’s first quantum satellite to protect tomorrow’s data.

In our increasingly digital and interconnected world, graduate students like Kimia Mohammadi constantly innovate to stay ahead of emerging security risks. She is part of a national team creating Canada’s first quantum satellite, currently scheduled for launch in 2025. The Quantum EncrYption and Science Satellite (QEYSSat) mission will be a demonstration of secure ground-to-space quantum communication.

Unruh phenomena and thermalization for qudit detectors

Quantum-Nano Centre, 200 University Ave West, Room QNC 1201 Waterloo, ON CA N2L 3G1

The Unruh effect is the flat space analogue to Hawking radiation, describing how an observer in flat spacetime perceives the quantum vacuum state to be in a thermal state when moving along a constantly accelerated trajectory. This effect is often described operationally using the qubit-based Unruh-DeWitt detector.

We study Unruh phenomena for more general qudit detectors coupled to a quantized scalar field, noting the limitations to the utility of the detailed balance condition as an indicator for Unruh thermality of higher-dimensional qudit detector models. We illustrate these limitations using two types of qutrit detector models based on the spin-1 representations of SU(2) and the non-Hermitian generalization of the Pauli observables (the Heisenberg-Weyl operators).

[2309.04598] Unruh phenomena and thermalization for qudit detectors (arxiv.org)

En francais

Diamonds are one of the most sought-after and versatile gemstones in the world, with purposes beyond jewelry and drill tips. In quantum research, diamonds are frequently studied because of the presence of special defects called colour centers, which can act as a quantum bit, or qubit, to store information in quantum systems.

Dr. Mohammad Soltani, a postdoctoral fellow at the Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC) is studying ways to implement patterns in diamonds for quantum applications. Recently, his experiments led to a miniscule but recognizable pattern: IQC’s logo, etched into a 2.5 mm square diamond. The smallest logo produced measured just 20 micrometers — about one fourth the width of a single human hair.

Future graduate students

HIGH-CAPACITY OPTICAL FIBER TRANSMISSION SYSTEMS TO HIGH-SENSITIVITY QUANTUM DETECTION

IQC Colloquium/IEEE-SSCS Distinguished Lecture - René-Jean Essiambre, Nokia/Bell Labs

Fundamental physics at the quantum limits of measurement

IQC Colloquium - Daniel Carney, Berkeley Labs

Quantum Quest Seed Fund announces twelfth round of funding

Quantum LiDAR

Major funding for quantum tech companies spun out of Waterloo to advance and commercialize quantum technology

New technique to identify and control large numbers of atomic-scale defects aims to improve sensitivity of quantum sensing devices

University of Waterloo IQC researchers awarded $9 million in funding for quantum innovation

Launching the future of secure communication

IQC Student Seminar Featuring Everett Patterson

Unruh phenomena and thermalization for qudit detectors

IQC’s logo shines bright in a diamond

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