EMERGENT QUANTUM PHENOMENA

AXIS LEADERS :
Tami Pereg-Barnea and Louis Taillefer

Our 27 axis members collaborate to understand and exploit the rich landscape of emergent quantum phenomena. We focus on three themes:
i) superconductors & correlated electron systems ;
ii) quantum spin systems ;
iii) topological materials.

Our group includes experts who apply state-of-the-art techniques to produce, probe and model these fascinating quantum materials.

RQMP members are studying superconductors, including cuprates (which hold the record for the highest critical temperature), to reveal the fundamental mechanisms that promote superconductivity.

They also aim to elucidate the nature of the pseudogap phase in cuprates, the most mysterious phase of quantum matter, by pursuing new signatures of that phase, such as chiral phonons and Fermi surface transformation. Another focus of our proposed collaborative research is Planckian dissipation, a fascinating phenomenon whereby electrons appear to obey a new quantum limit on their collision time – similar to the Planckian time that governs the relaxation of black holes.

Quantum spin systems comprise two research thrusts within RQMP:

i) single- or few-spin systems for quantum information and metrology;
ii) large-scale spin systems.

Single or few-spin systems contained within quantum dots or bound to localized defects offer compact, highly coherent quantum bits.

RQMP researchers are exploring new mechanisms and architectures for controlling, coupling, and detecting spin qubits, and exploiting their coherence to develop sensitive magnetometers. Even with surprisingly simple models, large-scale quantum spin systems can exhibit incredibly rich emergent behaviour.

The combination of strong quantum fluctuations and magnetic frustration can lead to a quantum spin liquid – a highly entangled state of matter that exhibits fractional excitation.

In some cases, these excitation could provide a platform for robustly encoding quantum information. For example, Majorana fermions may have been detected recently by a thermal Hall measurement in a Kitaev spin liquid material. Numerous candidate materials are now becoming available and RQMP theorists, experimentalists and sample growers are collaborating to explore and understand them.

Topological quantum materials are a fast-growing field of condensed matter physics. They include insulators, semimetals, superconductors and magnetic systems.

In most cases, the topology is related to an interesting spin/pseudospin structure in momentum space enabled by significant spin-orbit coupling. The hallmark of topology is surface states that are robust to disorder. These surface states hold great promise for defect-tolerant devices and are a stepping-stone towards fault-tolerant qubits for quantum computing and low-dissipation spintronic devices.

In other cases, topology is a property of a special quantum state, as in the case of topological superconductivity – for which a new platform has recently been proposed, based on two monolayers of a cuprate superconductor twisted at an angle relative to each other.

RQMP members are studying topological materials from their fundamental aspects all the way toward utilizing their full potential.

EMERGENT QUANTUM PHENOMENA

AXIS LEADERS :
Tami Pereg-Barnea and Louis Taillefer

Our 27 axis members collaborate to understand and exploit the rich landscape of emergent quantum phenomena. We focus on three themes:
i) superconductors & correlated electron systems ;
ii) quantum spin systems ;
iii) topological materials.

Our group includes experts who apply state-of-the-art techniques to produce, probe and model these fascinating quantum materials.

RQMP members are studying superconductors, including cuprates (which hold the record for the highest critical temperature), to reveal the fundamental mechanisms that promote superconductivity.

They also aim to elucidate the nature of the pseudogap phase in cuprates, the most mysterious phase of quantum matter, by pursuing new signatures of that phase, such as chiral phonons and Fermi surface transformation. Another focus of our proposed collaborative research is Planckian dissipation, a fascinating phenomenon whereby electrons appear to obey a new quantum limit on their collision time – similar to the Planckian time that governs the relaxation of black holes.

Quantum spin systems comprise two research thrusts within RQMP:

i) single- or few-spin systems for quantum information and metrology;
ii) large-scale spin systems.

Single or few-spin systems contained within quantum dots or bound to localized defects offer compact, highly coherent quantum bits.

RQMP researchers are exploring new mechanisms and architectures for controlling, coupling, and detecting spin qubits, and exploiting their coherence to develop sensitive magnetometers. Even with surprisingly simple models, large-scale quantum spin systems can exhibit incredibly rich emergent behaviour.

The combination of strong quantum fluctuations and magnetic frustration can lead to a quantum spin liquid – a highly entangled state of matter that exhibits fractional excitation.

In some cases, these excitation could provide a platform for robustly encoding quantum information. For example, Majorana fermions may have been detected recently by a thermal Hall measurement in a Kitaev spin liquid material. Numerous candidate materials are now becoming available and RQMP theorists, experimentalists and sample growers are collaborating to explore and understand them.

Topological quantum materials are a fast-growing field of condensed matter physics. They include insulators, semimetals, superconductors and magnetic systems.

In most cases, the topology is related to an interesting spin/pseudospin structure in momentum space enabled by significant spin-orbit coupling. The hallmark of topology is surface states that are robust to disorder. These surface states hold great promise for defect-tolerant devices and are a stepping-stone towards fault-tolerant qubits for quantum computing and low-dissipation spintronic devices.

In other cases, topology is a property of a special quantum state, as in the case of topological superconductivity – for which a new platform has recently been proposed, based on two monolayers of a cuprate superconductor twisted at an angle relative to each other.

RQMP members are studying topological materials from their fundamental aspects all the way toward utilizing their full potential.

TARGETED DESIGN OF NEW MATERIALS

AXIS LEADERS :
Hong Guo and Stefanos Kourtis

The design of materials with evermore finely tuned and tunable physical properties, be it mechanical, optical, dielectric, magnetic, or a combination thereof, is a cornerstone of technological progress.

Today more so than ever, meeting industry requirements for innovation involves controlling material synthesis processes at the micro- and nano-scales, and, increasingly, on the quantum level.

The fabrication of new materials is directed by high-definition characterization methods, as well as high-precision computational modelling of materials. This is a fast-paced domain where tight integration of expertise across several disciplines is an essential requirement for rapid progress. It is precisely this integration that the RQMP provides.

RQMP theorists have a long and distinguished history of innovating cutting-edge modelling and simulation methods and tools that exploit Canada’s supercomputing infrastructure to its limits.
Many tools have already been commercialized and used by researchers and engineers in the world. RQMP researchers develop very advanced and powerful multi-scale multi-physics material theories and simulation tools, going all the way from atomistic modelling such as density functional theory, to continuum modelling, such as :

  • phase field methods;
  • large-scale molecular dynamics and ab initio molecular dynamics, as well as Monte Carlo simulations;
  • covering the physics of both ground states and excited states;
  • equilibrium as well as nonequilibrium;
  • predicting functional as well as structural properties of materials;
  • modelling electronic, topological, transport, mechanic, photonic, magnetic and biologic systems;
  • as well as simulation tools for advanced experimental techniques such as SPM.

Very strong effort will be devoted to integrating our theoretical methods and tools into powerful and unique computational platforms so that our experimental colleagues can easily access them for specific applications.

In addition to the more traditional materials theory and modelling, RQMP researchers have been very active in developing machine learning methods for materials research.

some ~400,000 different bulk materials have already been discovered in nature or synthesised by hand. Adding molecules and sequences, the number goes to beyond 140 million.
However, and surprisingly, a very little part about their physical properties is known. Clearly, existing materials present a huge opportunity of applications if their properties can be quickly found.

In this regard, RQMP researchers have developed several tools for material informatics, assisted by machine learning, to screen material candidates having a particular physical property very efficiently, from the huge materials databases.

Machine learning methods have also been developed by RQMP researchers for accelerating other simulation tools, to build deep potential for materials, to assistant ab initio molecular dynamics, to determine structural properties of disordered systems. Again, RQMP will be able to develop the most powerful tools based on machine learning, with direct experimental verification from our labs and theoretical verification from our simulation methods.

TARGETED DESIGN OF NEW MATERIALS

AXIS LEADERS :
Hong Guo and Stefanos Kourtis

The design of materials with evermore finely tuned and tunable physical properties, be it mechanical, optical, dielectric, magnetic, or a combination thereof, is a cornerstone of technological progress.

Today more so than ever, meeting industry requirements for innovation involves controlling material synthesis processes at the micro- and nano-scales, and, increasingly, on the quantum level.

The fabrication of new materials is directed by high-definition characterization methods, as well as high-precision computational modelling of materials. This is a fast-paced domain where tight integration of expertise across several disciplines is an essential requirement for rapid progress. It is precisely this integration that the RQMP provides.

RQMP theorists have a long and distinguished history of innovating cutting-edge modelling and simulation methods and tools that exploit Canada’s supercomputing infrastructure to its limits.
Many tools have already been commercialized and used by researchers and engineers in the world. RQMP researchers develop very advanced and powerful multi-scale multi-physics material theories and simulation tools, going all the way from atomistic modelling such as density functional theory, to continuum modelling, such as :

  • phase field methods;
  • large-scale molecular dynamics and ab initio molecular dynamics, as well as Monte Carlo simulations;
  • covering the physics of both ground states and excited states;
  • equilibrium as well as nonequilibrium;
  • predicting functional as well as structural properties of materials;
  • modelling electronic, topological, transport, mechanic, photonic, magnetic and biologic systems;
  • as well as simulation tools for advanced experimental techniques such as SPM.

Very strong effort will be devoted to integrating our theoretical methods and tools into powerful and unique computational platforms so that our experimental colleagues can easily access them for specific applications.

In addition to the more traditional materials theory and modelling, RQMP researchers have been very active in developing machine learning methods for materials research.

some ~400,000 different bulk materials have already been discovered in nature or synthesised by hand. Adding molecules and sequences, the number goes to beyond 140 million.
However, and surprisingly, a very little part about their physical properties is known. Clearly, existing materials present a huge opportunity of applications if their properties can be quickly found.

In this regard, RQMP researchers have developed several tools for material informatics, assisted by machine learning, to screen material candidates having a particular physical property very efficiently, from the huge materials databases.

Machine learning methods have also been developed by RQMP researchers for accelerating other simulation tools, to build deep potential for materials, to assistant ab initio molecular dynamics, to determine structural properties of disordered systems. Again, RQMP will be able to develop the most powerful tools based on machine learning, with direct experimental verification from our labs and theoretical verification from our simulation methods.

ATOMS UP : NANO AND BIO-INSPIRED MATERIALS

AXIS LEADERS :
Delphine Bouilly and Peter Grutter

At the nanoscale, the traditional boundaries between physics, chemistry, engineering and biology disappear.

Our 38 RQMP researchers in this axis manufacture, measure and model low-dimensional materials, such as molecules, nanostructures and thin films, and exploit their extraordinary properties to develop the next generation of applications in energy harvesting & storage applications and in biocompatibility & biosensing.

Reducing a material’s dimensionality to the level of a few nanometers or even a single atom adds a powerful degree of control over optical, electronic and thermal properties. These new properties can be leveraged for new materials and ultimately technologies with vastly improved efficiency and performance.

Researchers at RQMP are applying this new degree of freedom, with exquisite control over atomic scale growth, advanced theoretical models, and experimental characterization techniques to understand fundamental material properties arising from interactions in low dimensions.

Of current interest are excitonic interactions in 0D, 1D and 2D materials, Moiré physics arising from mismatched atomic structure of stacked 2D materials, 2D heterostructures for tailor-made control over optical and electronic properties and structured hierarchical systems for improved electrical and thermal transport properties.

Other examples include 1D nanowires with atomic layer chemical species control, which allow defect free and thus highly efficient light sources to be engineered or ultra-thin patterned films being explored for control over surface interactions for drug delivery assays, ice formation and nanomechanical actuation.

Scaling down to nanoscopic size enables next-generation systems to interact with light, heat, and matter in unique ways in the context of sustainable energy conversion and storage devices.
Nanoscopic roughness can be used to manipulate light to enhance solar cell efficiency. Engineering of thermoelectric nanocomposites to simultaneously maximize electrical conductivity and minimize thermal transport can be accomplished through judicious materials design within a design integrated perspective.

Advances in chemical energy conversion and storage systems are underpinned by the knowledge of the chemistry occurring at nanoscopic interfaces, for instance at the catalyst-reactant layer in electrosynthesis cells.
In batteries, ionic layering at nanoscale electrical double layers at electrode-electrolyte boundaries affects the electronic conductivity of the electrode materials, in turn affecting the state of cyclability of the battery. In all, the research on this theme employs a multidisciplinary approach, involving materials design and synthesis, precise characterization, and theoretical modelling, to take a deep look at the fundamental physics that lies behind the functionality and limits of energy systems.

Nanoscale materials offer a unique interface with biological structures, as it corresponds to the size of most biological macromolecules (proteins, nucleic acids) and other sub-cellular structures in biology. Advanced materials can be designed and engineered to detect, study or even control biomolecules and biological structures. Of particular interest in RQMP is the design of nanochannels, nanopores, patterned surfaces or 3D scaffolds to precisely guide the assembly or trajectories of biomolecules or to tailor the affinity, wettability or biocompatibility of interfaces.

Exploiting the optical, electrical or magnetic properties of nanomaterials to develop new biosensing modalities is another exciting research avenue, including applications such as lab-on-a-chip diagnostics or in vivo imaging technologies. This research theme also includes the development of materials based on building blocks of biological inspiration, in particular organic monomers & polymers, to exploit their advantages in terms of bio-sourced supply, biocompatibility or biodegradability.

ATOMS UP : NANO AND BIO-INSPIRED MATERIALS

AXIS LEADERS :
Delphine Bouilly and Peter Grutter

At the nanoscale, the traditional boundaries between physics, chemistry, engineering and biology disappear.

Our 38 RQMP researchers in this axis manufacture, measure and model low-dimensional materials, such as molecules, nanostructures and thin films, and exploit their extraordinary properties to develop the next generation of applications in energy harvesting & storage applications and in biocompatibility & biosensing.

Reducing a material’s dimensionality to the level of a few nanometers or even a single atom adds a powerful degree of control over optical, electronic and thermal properties. These new properties can be leveraged for new materials and ultimately technologies with vastly improved efficiency and performance.

Researchers at RQMP are applying this new degree of freedom, with exquisite control over atomic scale growth, advanced theoretical models, and experimental characterization techniques to understand fundamental material properties arising from interactions in low dimensions.

Of current interest are excitonic interactions in 0D, 1D and 2D materials, Moiré physics arising from mismatched atomic structure of stacked 2D materials, 2D heterostructures for tailor-made control over optical and electronic properties and structured hierarchical systems for improved electrical and thermal transport properties.

Other examples include 1D nanowires with atomic layer chemical species control, which allow defect free and thus highly efficient light sources to be engineered or ultra-thin patterned films being explored for control over surface interactions for drug delivery assays, ice formation and nanomechanical actuation.

Scaling down to nanoscopic size enables next-generation systems to interact with light, heat, and matter in unique ways in the context of sustainable energy conversion and storage devices.
Nanoscopic roughness can be used to manipulate light to enhance solar cell efficiency. Engineering of thermoelectric nanocomposites to simultaneously maximize electrical conductivity and minimize thermal transport can be accomplished through judicious materials design within a design integrated perspective.

Advances in chemical energy conversion and storage systems are underpinned by the knowledge of the chemistry occurring at nanoscopic interfaces, for instance at the catalyst-reactant layer in electrosynthesis cells.
In batteries, ionic layering at nanoscale electrical double layers at electrode-electrolyte boundaries affects the electronic conductivity of the electrode materials, in turn affecting the state of cyclability of the battery. In all, the research on this theme employs a multidisciplinary approach, involving materials design and synthesis, precise characterization, and theoretical modelling, to take a deep look at the fundamental physics that lies behind the functionality and limits of energy systems.

Nanoscale materials offer a unique interface with biological structures, as it corresponds to the size of most biological macromolecules (proteins, nucleic acids) and other sub-cellular structures in biology. Advanced materials can be designed and engineered to detect, study or even control biomolecules and biological structures. Of particular interest in RQMP is the design of nanochannels, nanopores, patterned surfaces or 3D scaffolds to precisely guide the assembly or trajectories of biomolecules or to tailor the affinity, wettability or biocompatibility of interfaces.

Exploiting the optical, electrical or magnetic properties of nanomaterials to develop new biosensing modalities is another exciting research avenue, including applications such as lab-on-a-chip diagnostics or in vivo imaging technologies. This research theme also includes the development of materials based on building blocks of biological inspiration, in particular organic monomers & polymers, to exploit their advantages in terms of bio-sourced supply, biocompatibility or biodegradability.

MATERIALS ENGINEERING FOR NEW TECHNOLOGIES

AXIS LEADERS :
Dominique Drouin and Ludvik Martinu

Nanomaterials require a deep understanding of fundamental physical phenomena to meet the technological challenges associated with increasingly demanding applications. Advances in this field require multidisciplinary collaboration, which involves both theorists and engineers, in order to understand and master the behaviour of matter, from the atomic scale to the millimeter.

The development of coatings and thin films also aims to advance manufacturing techniques based on the physical and chemical interactions at the surface during growth, by considering plasma methods, ion beams and other energetic approaches as well as diagnostic methods. The integration of modelling, manufacturing and characterization processes is essential to the development of innovative coatings, functional and multifunctional layers, and devices that find applications in fields as diverse as optics, photonics, micro- and optoelectronics, telecommunications, aerospace and space exploration, energy, manufacturing, and the pharmaceutical and biomedical fields.

This theme considers the electronic behaviour of materials, surfaces and interfaces, when they are synthesized or their characteristics modified at the nanometer scale. Research efforts aim to develop a fundamental understanding of the behaviour of systems made of nanostructures or sometimes a single atom, shaped using methods ranging from supra-molecular self-assembly to epitaxial growth, to the use of advanced microelectronics methods.

The characteristics obtained from such systems are then used on systems and devices of increasing complexity, where collective properties emerge, such as neuromorphic devices, quantum devices, single-electron transistors, or organic thin films. Our understanding of phenomena at the molecular scale is also the basis of the rapidly emerging field of information acquisition and processing at the single molecule level.

Strongly correlated quantum interactions are playing an increasingly important role in energy recovery, utilization and storage technologies, an area in which complex materials beyond traditional semiconductors are being exploited for advanced applications. Such fundamental exploration, at the quantum level, has an impact on a wide range of end technologies, from solar cell materials, to electrocatalysis, to thermoelectric materials and other active systems. However, the complexity of these energetic processes requires the development of advanced theoretical models to adapt their performance to end applications. In addition, physical properties, often of a quantum nature, must be coupled with advanced spectroscopic measurements, in particular via light-matter interactions, to validate their predictions and resolve new frontiers in the sciences related to energy. Through these coupled interactions between theory and experiments, the RQMP aims to develop fundamental knowledge about quantum energy that will allow the advancement of revolutionary green technologies and progress towards a sustainable society.

MATERIALS ENGINEERING FOR NEW TECHNOLOGIES

AXIS LEADERS :
Dominique Drouin and Ludvik Martinu

Nanomaterials require a deep understanding of fundamental physical phenomena to meet the technological challenges associated with increasingly demanding applications. Advances in this field require multidisciplinary collaboration, which involves both theorists and engineers, in order to understand and master the behaviour of matter, from the atomic scale to the millimeter.

The development of coatings and thin films also aims to advance manufacturing techniques based on the physical and chemical interactions at the surface during growth, by considering plasma methods, ion beams and other energetic approaches as well as diagnostic methods. The integration of modelling, manufacturing and characterization processes is essential to the development of innovative coatings, functional and multifunctional layers, and devices that find applications in fields as diverse as optics, photonics, micro- and optoelectronics, telecommunications, aerospace and space exploration, energy, manufacturing, and the pharmaceutical and biomedical fields.

This theme considers the electronic behaviour of materials, surfaces and interfaces, when they are synthesized or their characteristics modified at the nanometer scale. Research efforts aim to develop a fundamental understanding of the behaviour of systems made of nanostructures or sometimes a single atom, shaped using methods ranging from supra-molecular self-assembly to epitaxial growth, to the use of advanced microelectronics methods.

The characteristics obtained from such systems are then used on systems and devices of increasing complexity, where collective properties emerge, such as neuromorphic devices, quantum devices, single-electron transistors, or organic thin films. Our understanding of phenomena at the molecular scale is also the basis of the rapidly emerging field of information acquisition and processing at the single molecule level.

Strongly correlated quantum interactions are playing an increasingly important role in energy recovery, utilization and storage technologies, an area in which complex materials beyond traditional semiconductors are being exploited for advanced applications. Such fundamental exploration, at the quantum level, has an impact on a wide range of end technologies, from solar cell materials, to electrocatalysis, to thermoelectric materials and other active systems. However, the complexity of these energetic processes requires the development of advanced theoretical models to adapt their performance to end applications. In addition, physical properties, often of a quantum nature, must be coupled with advanced spectroscopic measurements, in particular via light-matter interactions, to validate their predictions and resolve new frontiers in the sciences related to energy. Through these coupled interactions between theory and experiments, the RQMP aims to develop fundamental knowledge about quantum energy that will allow the advancement of revolutionary green technologies and progress towards a sustainable society.

LIGHT-MATTER INTERACTIONS

AXIS LEADERS :
David G. Cooke and Stephane Kena-Cohen

The interface of light and material science is a rich scientific playground, with new materials controlling light in new ways that can be used in areas spanning energy harvesting to sensing of gravitational waves.
Alternatively, light can be used to take a conventional material and change its properties completely. 24 of our members collaborate to understand and control the way light interacts with matter. Our efforts are focused on four research thrusts :

i) ultrafast dynamics of quantum and correlated matter,
ii) quantum control of matter,
iii) quantum limited sensing using light and
iv) the realization of new quantum photonic states through nanophotonic engineering.

In each theme, members create new experimental techniques and technologies to push the boundaries of what can be measured, develop new theoretical approaches in quantum condensed matter and quantum optics to explain these measurements and design new material systems to confine and harness light.

Members of RQMP are pioneers and world leaders in advanced time-resolved ultrafast spectroscopies, scattering and microscopy techniques that can uniquely probe the interplay between the electronic and the atomic structural dynamics.

These measurements reveal the dynamics of competing and coexisting states as they form out of complex interactions in quantum condensed matter systems. The goal is not just to understand a material’s properties under given equilibrium conditions, but how those properties manifested out of the complex, microscopic interactions in these real materials.

The applications of materials and their properties are often strongly restricted to what thermodynamic equilibrium provides. Strong light-matter interactions, however, can alter the complex energy landscape of a material in ways that are inaccessible by conventional tuning of temperature, pressure or volume.

This causes the material to seek new local minima in energy, where they take on a completely new phase with entirely different properties than its equilibrium state. These transient, light-induced phases of matter have only begun to be understood, but their possibilities may be limitless.

Our network has world-leading expertise in the fabrication of ultrasensitive mechanical and optical microsystems capable of approaching the so-called “Standard Quantum Limit” (SQL) sensitivity in a room temperature, tabletop system. These cutting-edge sensors will also naturally generate the widest known band of quantum “squeezed” light useful for surpassing the SQL when injected into in precision experiments such as gravitational wave antennas (e.g., LIGO).

Endeavours to control the interaction of light with matter by tailoring a material’s photonic environment on the nanoscale. This light-matter engineering can improve the efficiency and sensitivity of state-of-the-art photonic emitters and detectors, reaching limitations imposed by quantum mechanics. In the limit where light and matter excitation couple strongly, one can develop structures that mediate interactions between single photons or transfer quantum information between light and matter; both forming the basis for future quantum technologies.

LIGHT-MATTER INTERACTIONS

AXIS LEADERS :
David G. Cooke and Stephane Kena-Cohen

The interface of light and material science is a rich scientific playground, with new materials controlling light in new ways that can be used in areas spanning energy harvesting to sensing of gravitational waves.
Alternatively, light can be used to take a conventional material and change its properties completely. 24 of our members collaborate to understand and control the way light interacts with matter. Our efforts are focused on four research thrusts :

i) ultrafast dynamics of quantum and correlated matter,
ii) quantum control of matter,
iii) quantum limited sensing using light and
iv) the realization of new quantum photonic states through nanophotonic engineering.

In each theme, members create new experimental techniques and technologies to push the boundaries of what can be measured, develop new theoretical approaches in quantum condensed matter and quantum optics to explain these measurements and design new material systems to confine and harness light.

Members of RQMP are pioneers and world leaders in advanced time-resolved ultrafast spectroscopies, scattering and microscopy techniques that can uniquely probe the interplay between the electronic and the atomic structural dynamics.

These measurements reveal the dynamics of competing and coexisting states as they form out of complex interactions in quantum condensed matter systems. The goal is not just to understand a material’s properties under given equilibrium conditions, but how those properties manifested out of the complex, microscopic interactions in these real materials.

The applications of materials and their properties are often strongly restricted to what thermodynamic equilibrium provides. Strong light-matter interactions, however, can alter the complex energy landscape of a material in ways that are inaccessible by conventional tuning of temperature, pressure or volume.

This causes the material to seek new local minima in energy, where they take on a completely new phase with entirely different properties than its equilibrium state. These transient, light-induced phases of matter have only begun to be understood, but their possibilities may be limitless.

Our network has world-leading expertise in the fabrication of ultrasensitive mechanical and optical microsystems capable of approaching the so-called “Standard Quantum Limit” (SQL) sensitivity in a room temperature, tabletop system. These cutting-edge sensors will also naturally generate the widest known band of quantum “squeezed” light useful for surpassing the SQL when injected into in precision experiments such as gravitational wave antennas (e.g., LIGO).

Endeavours to control the interaction of light with matter by tailoring a material’s photonic environment on the nanoscale. This light-matter engineering can improve the efficiency and sensitivity of state-of-the-art photonic emitters and detectors, reaching limitations imposed by quantum mechanics. In the limit where light and matter excitation couple strongly, one can develop structures that mediate interactions between single photons or transfer quantum information between light and matter; both forming the basis for future quantum technologies.