Ultrafast Quantum Photonics

20世纪初量子力学的引入使我们对自然的理解发生了根本性的变化。虽然经典物理支配着我们周围宏观世界中最熟悉的元素，但电子、原子和分子的微观行为是量子力学的领域。量子力学表现出许多独特的特征--不确定性、叠加和纠缠--这些在经典世界中几乎没有类似之处。我们现在知道，这些量子特征可以用来开发新的量子技术，这是经典物理学无法想象的。为了建立量子技术，我们必须了解这些量子特征，然后开发与量子系统相互作用的方法和工具。这项提议将研究极端的光-物质相互作用(包括高强度和低强度)，并基于这些相互作用开发新技术。特别是，它将专注于量子光学和超快物理的交叉，以发展对分子和固态系统中的非经典物理的新理解，开发新的光子源，开发超快量子光学处理组件，并利用这些组件和源来制造先进传感器。

The introduction of quantum mechanics early in the 20th century led to a radical change in our understanding of Nature. While classical physics governs the most familiar elements of the macroscopic world around us, the microscopic behaviour of electrons, atoms, and molecules is the realm of quantum mechanics. Quantum mechanics exhibits a host of unique features - uncertainty, superposition, and entanglement - that have little analogue in the classical world. We now understand that these quantum features can be utilized to develop new Quantum Technologies, impossible to imagine with classical physics. In order to build Quantum Technologies we must understand these quantum features and then develop methods and tools for interacting with quantum systems. This proposal will investigate extreme light-matter interactions (both high- and low-intensity) and develop novel technology based upon those interactions. In particular it will focus on the intersection of quantum optics and ultrafast physics to develop new understanding of non-classical physics in molecular and solid state systems, develop new photon sources, develop ultrafast quantum optical processing components, and leverage those components and sources for advanced sensors.