Grant: Canada Research Chairs

The study of light is fundamental to our understanding of the world. It also has, over the last few decades, spurred incredible technological change: the invention of lasers, optical fibres and integrated photonics were fundamental in ushering in the information revolution, which has fundamentally altered the human experience. Today, there is a growing consensus that a new revolution in optical technologies will come from harnessing the quantum nature of light. This new quantum era is expected to usher in a slate of disruptive technologies, ranging from quantum communication allowing for absolute security, to quantum computers processing exponential advantages over current devices in certain applications. In order to develop these promising technologies, there are currently concerted efforts to develop a variety of approaches to create, manipulate and measure quantum light. During their second term as a Canada Research Chair in Optics and Quantum information, Dr. Hamel will further their research activities towards the development of experimental tools to achieve these goals, with the ultimate goal of developing enabling tools for optical quantum information technologies. This will include novel methods of producing and measuring non-classical states of light, as well as proofs of concepts for the validity of these methods for optical quantum information processing. A particular focus will be to study how cascaded downconversion, a novel physical process pioneered by Dr. Hamel and their collaborators, can be used to develop technologies for quantum information. These innovative approaches are expected to provide fundamental insight into nonlinear optical processes at the single-photon level and into the behaviour of optical quantum systems. It will also develop tools which will be of use for technological applications, leading to opportunities for commercialization. Finally, this research program will provide advanced training to students and researchers, preparing them to work in Canada’s emerging quantum sector.