Research axes

Quantum Photonics

Flocon de hBN
by Guillaume Beaudoin, Mathieu Massicotte, Université de Sherbrooke

Quantum photonic technologies have the potential to revolutionize secure communications, computing and information processing, and to impact diverse industries such as healthcare, telecommunications, finance and defense. Integrated photonics, driven by wafer-scale manufacturing processes and fiber-optic devices, is emerging as a compelling platform for the future of quantum technologies, facilitating efficient, miniaturized, low-power photonic resources. Considerable effort is devoted to developing innovative solutions for optimized quantum photonic sources, to generate single-photon, compressed and entangled states; resource-efficient quantum state control, to efficiently process high-dimensional states by coherent means; and quantum sensing, to analyze complex quantum states across the single-(few)-photon and multi-particle regimes, as well as over broad spectral bands.

The Quantum Photonics research axis focuses not only on technical aspects, but also on accessible and affordable solutions for communities worldwide, while contributing to the training of the future workforce in Quebec and Canada. This focus is perfectly aligned with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, in particular those related to quality education and gender equality, ensuring inclusive, equitable and accessible education for all, promoting lifelong learning opportunities and fostering the skills necessary for personal development and global progress; decent work and economic growth, by promoting full and productive employment and ensuring equal access to employment opportunities, thereby strengthening social and economic development worldwide; and industry, innovation and infrastructure as well as sustainable cities and communities, by building resilient, safe and convenient infrastructure, encouraging innovation and promoting inclusive and sustainable industrialization.

We propose three research themes that will address the following interrelated issues:

How can we improve the efficiency of photon production from quantum emitter sources by optimizing current fiber integration techniques?
How can we synergistically combine photonic and microwave technologies to efficiently generate intriguing quantum states, such as GKP (Gottesman-Kitaev-Preskill) states, for the generation of continuous variable entanglement?
What is the most effective approach for integrating recent advances in chip and fiber technologies for processing high-dimensional quantum states, ultimately leading to practical solutions for secure quantum communication (e.g., using discrete variable entanglement)?