Simulation Software for Modelling Quantum Light Sources

量子光子学是一个新兴的技术领域，有可能给科学和日常生活带来革命性的变化。预计它将迎来一个令人兴奋的时代，拥有超安全的通信、功能强大的超高速计算机和极大地增加的数据存储。这些进展都是基于开发单光子源的前提：一种以一次发射一个光子的能力为特征的光源。半导体量子点(由明智的半导体材料混合物组成的纳米级结构)是一种类似原子的系统，被证明是单光子源的有吸引力的候选者。然而，它们的工作温度非常低，需要液氦冷却，这是一个主要缺点。在这个项目中，我们将应用我们独特的预测光脉冲与量子纳米结构相互作用的模拟软件来设计、制造和优化集成氮化物单光子源，这种源可以在超过200K的温度下工作，通过廉价和方便的芯片上热电冷却可以达到。通过将我们的软件应用于这一尖端量子技术领域，我们的目标是证明其在设计量子光学器件时的预测能力和可靠性。这将是在开发量子光子学研究和工程不可或缺的工具包的道路上迈出的重要一步。

Quantum photonics is an emergent field of technology with the potential to revolutionise science and day-to-day life alike. It is anticipated that it will usher in an exciting era of ultra-secure communication, powerful super-fast computers and vastly increased data storage. These advancements are all based on the premise of developing single-photon sources: a type of source of light characterised by the ability to emit one photon at a time. Semiconductor quantum dots (nanometre-sized structures made up of a judicious blend of semiconductor materials) are atom-like systems that are proving to be attractive candidates for single-photon sources. However, they operate at very low temperatures requiring liquid helium cooling, which is a major drawback. In this project, we will apply our unique simulation software for prediction of the interaction of light pulses with quantum nanostructures to design, build and optimise integrated nitride single-photon sources that can operate at temperatures in excess of 200 K reachable by inexpensive and convenient on-chip thermoelectric cooling. By applying our software to this cutting-edge quantum technology area, we aim to prove its predictive power and reliability in designing quantum-optical devices. This will be an important step on the road to developing an indispensable toolkit for quantum photonics research and engineering.