Control and measurement of quantum optical systems for quantum technologies

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This project will address aspects of control and measurement in open quantum systems, as is relevant to developing a next generation of quantum technologies. This draws together different focus areas within theoretical quantum physics at Strathclyde, making use of very similar techniques across three different types of experiments that are relevant both to experimental groups at the University of Strathclyde, and to other leading experimental groups internationally. In particular, we will look at the combination of cooling, state engineering, and quantum state detection in two different contexts:(1) We will investigate the cooling of a new generation of nanomechanical resonators, e.g., considering recently realised devices in which nanodiamonds are trapped magnetically, and cooled via feedback mechanisms from laser-based position measurement. These systems could be useful for force sensing, and on a fundamental level provide us with an important platform for understanding the behaviour of quantum systems as their size is scaled up. (2) We will also look at state preparation in quantum simulators with ultracold atoms in optical lattices, which can be used to model and better understand phenomena from solid state physics. A key challenge in current experiments with these systems is cooling to low temperatures in order to observe the most sensitive quantum many-body phasesInvestigating cooling and preparation of quantum states in each of these systems requires a subtly different application of frameworks developed in quantum optics in order to treat the interaction between a quantum system and its environment. We will cover experimentally relevant details of these systems, and apply and further develop state-of-the-art numerical methods for simulating their behaviour.