Stealth quantum sensors unlock possibilities anywhere GPS doesn’t work
As commercial interest in quantum technologies accelerates, entrepreneurial minds at the University of Waterloo are not waiting for opportunities — they are creating them.
Among them is Alex Maierean (MMath ‘24), CEO of Phantom Photonics and part-time PhD student at the Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC). Her startup is developing ultra-sensitive quantum sensors that can filter out background noise and detect the faintest signals, even down to a single photon — the smallest unit of light. This offers new levels of precision and stealth for industries operating in extreme environments, from the depths of the ocean to outer space.
"I was lucky because the sensor research I was working on turned out to be commercializable and I had no reason not to run with it."
-Alex Maierean (MMath ‘24), CEO of Phantom Photonics and part-time PhD student at IQC.
