Advancing optical quantum technology using next generation light sources, ultrafast quantum optics, and foundational experiments

突破性的技术和科学进步是由我们控制自然的能力驱动的。 利用光和物质的微妙量子力学特征将导致强大的新技术，对我们处理和共享信息的方式产生广泛影响。 光学系统在这些新兴的量子技术中占有突出地位，因为它们在远距离交换量子信息的能力方面无与伦比。 这项发现补助金申请要求为光量子信息科学的研究计划提供资金，重点关注三个相互关联的挑战：下一代量子光源，超快量子光学和量子基础实验。 * 量子光是量子光学技术的基础。 仅举一个例子，超安全量子密码术可以通过交换单光子偏振态来实现。 我们建议开发基于人造原子的量子光源，这将成为单光子和纠缠光子的新标准。 我们提出利用快激光脉冲和非线性光学相互作用来操纵超快极限下单光子的时间特性。 我们将在这一领域开发新的量子脉冲表征工具和干涉测量，从而在最快的时间尺度上完全控制单光子波形。 我们将开发新的方法来确定量子态，量子测量和实验中的潜在量子因果结构。 我们建议使用弱测量来测量干涉光子的轨迹，并推断产生干涉图案的亮区和暗区的量子势。本提案中所述的研究流程相互补充。 推进量子发射器和超快量子光学的前沿，使更苛刻的技术和基础实验成为可能，而量子基础的进步建立了严格的基准，挑战我们扩大源和控制的限制。通过这项研究计划开发的实验进展和理论理解将通过我们利用光的量子态和发现未来量子应用资源的能力产生持久的影响。 这些实验将由本科生，研究生和博士后研究人员进行。该提案要求为他们的工资、差旅、实验和出版物费用提供资金。加拿大将直接受益于对这些研究人员的培训以及他们在培训期间开发的新技术。

Breakthrough technological and scientific advances are driven by our ability to control nature. Harnessing subtle quantum mechanical features of light and matter will lead to powerful new technologies with broad impact in how we process and share information. Optical systems feature prominently in these emerging quantum technologies as they are unparalleled in their ability to exchange quantum information over large distances. This Discovery Grant application requests funding for a research program in optical quantum information science focusing on three interrelated challenges: next-generation quantum light sources, ultrafast quantum optics, and quantum foundational experiments. ******Quantum light is the foundation for quantum optical technologies. As just one example, ultra-secure quantum cryptography can be achieved by exchanging single-photon polarization states. We propose to develop quantum light sources, based on artificial atoms that will become the new standard for single-, and entangled-photons. We propose to exploit fast laser pulses and nonlinear optical interactions to manipulate the temporal properties of single photons in the ultrafast limit. We will develop new quantum pulse characterization tools and interferometry in this regime, leading to full control over the single-photon waveform on the fastest of timescales. We will develop new methods for determining quantum states, quantum measurements, and the underlying quantum causal structure in experiments. We propose to measure trajectories of interfering photons using weak measurements and infer the Quantum Potential giving rise to bright and dark regions of interference pattern.******The research streams described in this proposal complement each other. Advancing the frontiers of quantum emitters and ultrafast quantum optics enable more demanding technologies and foundational experiments, while advances in quantum foundations establish stringent benchmarks, challenging us to expand the limits of sources and control. The experimental advances and theoretical understanding developed through this research program will have lasting impact through our ability to harness quantum states of light and discover the resources for tomorrow's quantum applications. These experiments will be carried out by undergraduate, graduate, and post-doctoral researchers. This proposal requests funding for their salaries, travel, experiments, and publications costs. Canada will directly benefit from the training of these researchers and new technologies they developed during the course of this training.***********