Project description
Controlling photon generation in the dynamical Casimir effect for quantum technologies
Quantum vacuum fluctuations generate real particles through the dynamical Casimir effect (DCE), where rapidly changing boundary conditions or material properties convert fluctuations into photons. These photons are emitted as entangled pairs forming two-mode squeezed states, with potential applications in quantum communication and metrology. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the COQUVAR project is developing a scattering framework to describe energy exchange between positive and negative frequencies. It will also construct a quantum Wigner-Smith operator for wavefront shaping. The project explores transient emission regimes and uses wavefront shaping to control radiation intensity at chosen times. Finally, it will develop methods to tailor squeezing in clean and disordered environments using Floquet theory and pseudospectrum analysis.
Objective
Quantum vacuum fluctuations can give rise to real particles, with the dynamical Casimir effect (DCE) being a paradigmatic example. When the boundary conditions or the material properties of a cavity vary rapidly in time, vacuum fluctuations are converted into photons. The photons are emitted as entangled pairs and form a two-mode squeezed state, making the emitted radiation a valuable resource for quantum communication and quantum metrology.
The proposed project aims to analyse and control the photon generation in the DCE. First, a scattering framework will be developed and the concept of pseudounitarity will be incorporated into the framework of DCE, to describe the energy exchange between positive and negative frequency modes. The quantum Wigner–Smith operator will also be constructed to enable wavefront shaping techniques. Second, the project will explore parameter regions where the photon emission occurs transiently over finite time intervals, rather than through the usual resonant mechanism of the DCE that leads to exponential growth. The wavefront shaping techniques will then be employed to control the radiation intensity so that it reaches a desired value at a selected time. Finally, strategies will be developed to manipulate the degree of squeezing of the emitted light, addressing both clean and disordered environments.
By combining Floquet theory, pseudospectrum analysis, and wavefront shaping techniques, the project will establish new ways of tailoring the properties of the quantum vacuum radiation, with outcomes of direct relevance for future quantum technologies.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
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CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
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Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
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Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF
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1040 Wien
Austria
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