Morgan Mastrovich

From the top of a tower, the view is vast and wide; at a high level, the details may be blurry but there is a holistic picture of the landscape below. USEQIP was MORGAN MASTROVICH’s quantum tower – the experience gave her a broad overview of the quantum information science research field. “USEQIP provided a great first exposure to the wider landscape of the quantum world,” recalled Mastrovich. “It was an excellent opportunity to grasp an understanding of the research field as a whole.”

Mastrovich now explores the quantum landscape in greater detail. Following USEQIP, she spent the summer as an Undergraduate Research Assistant (URA) researching quantum optics with IQC faculty member and Canada Research Chair in Optical Quantum Technologies KEVIN RESCH. The interdisciplinary nature of the institute appealed to Mastrovich, and she returned last fall to the University of Waterloo as a Master’s student to study physics and quantum information.

In collaboration with IQC faculty member MICHAEL REIMER’s lab, Mastrovich is working towards producing polarization entangled states by interfering single photons emitted by a quantum dot encased in a nanowire waveguide. The experiment is intended to demonstrate an interesting application of quantum dots as an effective single photon source. “The advantage of using the quantum dot as a single photon source is that it’s brighter than other traditional sources and is much less likely to produce pairs,” explained Mastrovich. She admitted it can be easy to get tunnel vision when working on the details of a project, but appreciates how it’s just as easy to access experts in all areas of quantum research at IQC when in need of a fresh perspective.