Laboratory of Quantum Optics and Quantum Informatics (QOLO)

Laboratory of Quantum Optics is focused on scientific research in the field of non-classical light sources (for example, sources of entangled photon pairs), detection of single photons and the use of non-classical states of light for encoding, transmitting and processing information. At present, we mainly investigate the fundamental quantum logic gates, quantum aspects of measurements on individual photons, and we develop specialized sources and detectors of light at the single-photon level.

Projects and activities:

• Quantum teleportation and its application for implementation of quantum gates
• Optical Schroedinger cat
• Quantum logic gates
• Single photon controlled optical switch

Bachelor and master students are encouraged to actively participate in research projects of the lab. Students can improve their practical skills in optics and electronics, and try out scientific work in the field of experimental photon optics. If you are interested, do not hesitate to contact us. We'll show you the lab, you will get familiar with our team and we will discuss projects in which you can participate.

Examples of bachelor and diploma theses:

• Experimental realization of trap detector with single-photon sensitivity (Bc)
• Higly stable Mach-Zehnder interferometr for quantum computing (Bc)
• Quantum optics-based experimental quantum information processing (Msc)
• Optical frequency conversion and non-classical light generation (Msc)
• Optical implementation of quantum operations for quantum information proccessing using entangled photons (Msc)

Awards:

During the last five years, the Bachelor and Diploma thesis of students working in our lab have been awarded by the Dean prize (6x) and Rector prize (2x) for the best student scientific work. Moreover, our students also received the SCOPUS prize and Milan Odehnal prize for young scientists.

What can you learn in our lab?

• Manipulation with and measurement of optical components, optical fibers and optical network elements
• Analysis and measurement of laser beams propagation
• Detection of very weak optical signals and single photons
• Design of optical interferometers and their stabilization
• Modulation of light
• Detection of ultrashort optical pulses with an accuracy of 10^-14 s
• Noise analysis, data processing and statistical methods

Equipment:

• Sources: femtosecond Ti:sapphire laser MIRA, femtosecond fiber laser, semiconductor lasers, He-Ne laser, light-emitting diodes
• Detectors: superconducting single=photon detectors, single-photon detection modules (Si and InGaAs APD), photodiode (Si, InGaAs, Gaasp, AlGaAs, AlGaN, GaN), photodetectors with bandwidth up to 10 GHz and specialized detectors built in our laboratory, homemade broadband homodyne detectors
• Paul traps, lasers for controlling single ions
• Measuring equipment: optical spectrum analyzer, optical power meter, fiber microscopes, digital oscilloscopes (up to 40 GSa / s, LeCroy), spectral analyzer (4 GHz, Agilent), precision digital voltmeters, digital multimeters, LRCmeters, signal and pulse generators
• Electronics for signal processing: discriminators, coincidence logic, TAC, SCA, counters, electronic delay lines, computer control of experiments and data acquisition
• Optical components, optical fibers, components of optical networks, nonlinear crystals
• Mechanical equipment motorized and  piezo-controlled stages with a spatial resolution better than 10 nm, actively stabilized optical tables

The laboratory is equipped with an electronic workshop that is fully available for students' projects. Also a basic mechanical workshop is available.

Contact

• Mgr. Miroslav Ježek, Ph.D., jezek@optics.upol.cz, skype: mirek.jezek
• Mgr. Lukáš Slodička, Ph.D., slodicka@optics.upol.cz