Cascaded downconversion for multi-photon entanglement and quantum information processing

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Technologies stemming from photonics research are omnipresent in our modern world, from laser surgery to barcode scanners and optical signals travelling through kilometers of optical fibers sending information all over the world on the internet. We are now entering a new revolution in optics. In this new era of photonics, information will be stored in the quantum states of photons - individual particles of light. Exploiting the sometimes counterintuitive properties of quantum mechanics will allow for remarkable new technologies, from the completely secure communications guaranteed by the laws of physics to a new type computer able to tackle problems that no classical computer could solve.***To exploit these technologies, the tools to create, manipulate and detect the quantum states of individual photons must be developed. While much progress has been done in this direction in recent years, there are still surprisingly few ways of creating and interacting with photons in a quantum way. Very recently, we have demonstrated a method to do precisely this: cascaded downconversion. This technique holds much promise for the production of quantum states, allowing us to create states in a way which was previously impossible. However it has yet to be satisfactorily investigated. In this NSERC Discovery program, I propose a thorough exploration of the full potential of cascaded downconversion for quantum information applications and beyond.****This research program will provide significant benefits to Canada through the development of cutting edge technologies in the burgeoning field of quantum computing. It will deliver highly advanced training for undergraduate students, graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, who will gain invaluable research experience in experimental quantum optics and in quantum information. In addition they will develop widely applicable hands-on skills with lasers, optics and computer programming.********