Sexual selection and the evolutionary biology of spermatogenesis

Projektinformationen

EVOSPERM

ID Finanzhilfevereinbarung: 251767

Abgeschlossenes Projekt

Startdatum 1 April 2010

Enddatum 31 März 2012

Finanziert unter

• Specific programme "People" implementing the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities (2007 to 2013)

Gesamtkosten € 180 970,80

EU-Beitrag € 180 970,80

Koordiniert durch

UNIVERSITAT BASEL
Switzerland

Final Report Summary - EVOSPERM (Sexual selection and the evolutionary biology of spermatogenesis)

Project context

This periodic report summarises the progress of the IQOW project over two years. The Marie Curie Fellow (MCF) activity focused on the implementation of quantum optics experiments using integrated optical devices in lithium niobate and lithium tantalate. It took place between the Nanoscience and Quantum Information Centre and the Engineering Department at the University of Bristol, in the United Kingdom.

Project objectives

The main objective of this project is the development of a platform for the implementation of quantum optical experiments with waveguides. A range of new devices, including photon pair sources and fast reconfigurable circuits have been developed on lithium niobate and lithium tantalate substrate. These two crystals are compatible with the proton-exchange technique for the fabrication of high-quality optical waveguides and with periodic poling for the generation of photon pairs via parametric down conversion. The technology developed in this project paves the way towards a common platform for the integration of all the basic components required for the development of new quantum information technologies.

Project work

A new fabrication facility for the realisation of proton-exchanged waveguides in lithium niobate and lithium tantalate was established in the first year of the project. An extensive investigation was carried out in order to optimise the coupling efficiency of the fabricated devices with optical fibres and minimise their propagation losses. In order to fabricate electro-optical reconfigurable devices, metal electrodes were deposited on top of the waveguide, and phase modulation at a rate of 1MHz was accomplished. New electrode designs are currently under investigation in order to improve the speed of the devices.

In this preliminary phase, the fabrication process was optimised for devices operating at 800 nm and 1550 nm wavelength. After the characterisation of several waveguides we decided to focus on 1550 nm as the working wavelength since the fabrication tolerances are more stable and because this regime offers the direct integration with standard optical components currently used in telecommunications. Furthermore, this decision was supported by the availability of high-efficiency superconducting single photon detectors for 1550 nm photons through collaboration with Heriot-Watt University (Scotland).

The generation of non-classical states of light in waveguides has been achieved on two different platforms. Single photon generation in periodically poled lithium tantalate waveguide has been demonstrated in an experiment that was part of a collaboration with the University of Sydney and MacQuaire University in Sydney, Australia (App. Phys. Lett. 99, 081110(2011)). Within this partnership, infra-red single photon generation in chalcogenide waveguide was also demonstrated (App. Phys. Lett. 98, 051101(2011)).

Project results

A major accomplishment achieved during this project was the first experimental demonstration of a lithium niobate integrated device operating in the quantum regime (Phys. Rev. Lett. 108, 053601(2012)). In this experiment, single photons at telecom wavelength have been manipulated in path and polarisation in fast electro-optical lithium niobate devices showing that the same technological platform can be used to manipulate both path and polarisation at high speed. This work received great attention from the scientific community and was featured on the physics website Physorg.com.

The MCF played a leading role in the collaboration that implemented the most complex reconfigurable quantum device reported to date (Nat. Photon. 6, 45(2012)), featured in the major Italian newspaper La Repubblica including an interview of the candidate and his collaborators. The work developed in this project attracted the interest of the telecommunication giant Nokia which collaborated with the MCF for the implementation of new reconfigurable circuits (New J. Phys. 13, 115009 (2011)).

During this project a new fabrication facility for integrated electro-optical devices was established at the University of Bristol together with the development of a reliable fabrication process for integrated optical devices operating at telecom wavelength. Major results have been in the implementation of photon pair sources in waveguide and the demonstration of reconfigurable integrated optical circuits. The main results in the generation of photon pairs in waveguide are:- demonstration of photon pair generation in lithium tantalate periodically poled waveguide using an innovative cascaded nonlinear process (App. Phys. Lett. 99, 081110(2011)); and
- demonstration of photon pair generation in chalcogenide waveguide (App. Phys. Lett. 98, 051101(2011)).

The results obtained in the implementation of reconfigurable quantum circuits with waveguide are:
- first experimental demonstration of a fast, reconfigurable lithium niobate circuit operating in the quantum regime (Phys. Rev. Lett. 108, 053601(2012));
- implementation of the most complex reconfigurable optical circuits to date (Nat. Photon. 6, 45(2012)); and
- implementation of a new reconfigurable circuits [New J. Phys. 13, 115009 (2011)]. In addition, an invited news and views written by the fellow on integrated quantum devices has been published on Nature (M. Lobino and J. L. O'Brien, Entangled Photons on a chip, Nature 469, 43 (2011))

These overall results obtained in this project represent the foundation for the development of a new platform that will incorporate all the main elements required for quantum photonics applications on a single chip.

Expected results and potential impact

The present project developed the foundation of new technological platform for the integration of optical quantum devices on a single platform. The scientific results obtained pave the way towards the realisation of real-world devices that exploit the potential of quantum mechanics for several applications, including computation, communication and simulation of quantum systems. While it is currently not known exactly what form future quantum technologies will take, it is clear that quantum information will be transmitted in quantum states of photons and therefore that optical quantum information processing will take place. It also seems clear that if quantum photonic technologies are to be realised, we will need to harness and ultimately drive the latest developments in the field of photonics, ranging from classical telecommunications to bio-photonics.

In the longer term, quantum technology has the potential for a great impact on society: the best-known method for securing information transmission is to encode secure cryptographic keys with quantum states of light. The heavy reliance on transmitting sensitive information by individuals, governments and industry places a high priority on improving secure data transmission. A large proportion of society therefore stands to benefit from the security offered by quantum communication. A full-scale universal quantum computer using any physical system is still a long way from realisation. Meanwhile, there is growing industrial interest in such technology for small-scale quantum simulators, which are a near-term prospect. This project is complementary to mainstream R&D directions, developing the necessary tools, technologies and concepts that will be required to move QIST to the next level of complexity.