Research Areas - (415) Physics

Full path: Physics

Department(s)/lab(s): Physics / Niels Bohr Institute | Quantum Optoelectronic Devices Group (Midolo) @ UCPH
Summary:

Ying Wang (assistant professor in Quantum Optoelectronic Devices group) researches GaAs-based integrated photonics for quantum applications: electro-optical quantum dot devices, GaAs-on-insulator waveguide integration, and chip-scale quantum photonics for sensing and QKD.

Department(s)/lab(s): School of Physics | Webster Astrophysics Group @ UMelb
Summary:

Webster works on the Epoch of Reionisation with the Murchison Widefield Array, where the science goal β€” detecting the redshifted 21-cm signal from the first stars β€” is a five-orders-of-magnitude foreground-subtraction and instrumental-calibration problem rather than an astrophysics problem. Her group's contributions are in foreground modelling, ionospheric and beam calibration, and the statistical detection of a signal buried far below the systematics floor; she also works on quasar accretion physics. Positioned against the established body of NV-ensemble quantum sensing work β€” DEER, nanoscale NMR and T1 relaxometry protocols operating at pT/sqrt(Hz) field sensitivity β€” the methodological parallel is exact: like a pT/sqrt(Hz) NV ensemble measurement, a 21-cm detection lives or dies on the control of correlated systematics rather than on raw sensitivity. Borderline inclusion under the astronomy criterion, kept because the array and its calibration are the central object of study.

Department(s)/lab(s): Physics / QET Labs | GECKO Group (Weidner Lab) @ Bristol
Summary:

Carrie Weidner's GECKO group develops experimental quantum sensing and simulation with cold atoms and hot atomic vapours. Key directions: (1) robust atom interferometry for 6-axis inertial sensing using optical lattice potentials (EPSRC-funded, Infleqtion partnership); (2) magnetic field imaging with squeezed light in hot atom vapour cells (wide-field OPM-type sensing using Faraday rotation); (3) quantum optimal control theory for atom interferometric sensors. The group is establishing a full ultracold atom apparatus for quantum simulation and sensing. Active postdoc positions.

Department(s)/lab(s): Department of Synthesis of Macromolecules | Weil Department - Synthesis of Macromolecules @ MPIP
Summary:

Weil directs the Synthesis of Macromolecules department at the MPI for Polymer Research in Mainz (co-located with JGU, with which the department collaborates closely). The quantum-sensing core of her programme is nanodiamond: in 2026 her group published a bottom-up route that converts molecularly defined nanographenes into ultrasmall, size-uniform nanodiamonds under HPHT, incorporating SiV and GeV colour centres during synthesis rather than by post-hoc implantation -- addressing the long-standing problem that milled detonation nanodiamonds have poor size control and damaged surfaces. Alongside this sits a mature nanodiamond biosensing line: surface bioconjugation and nanogel encapsulation, T1 relaxometry for free-radical detection in single mitochondria and in cells, nanoscale thermometry and photothermal theranostics. Relative to the established NV-ensemble quantum-sensing playbook (DEER, nanoscale NMR, T1 relaxometry at pT/sqrt(Hz) ensemble sensitivity), this group is attacking the material bottleneck directly -- if you want NV/SiV ensembles with controlled size, surface and coherence for in-cell sensing, this is the synthesis end of that pipeline, and it feeds spin-readout collaborators at Ulm (Jelezko/Kubanek).

Department(s)/lab(s): Institute of Physics (QUANTUM) | LARISSA (AG Wendt) @ JGU
Summary:

The LARISSA group develops multi-step resonance ionization laser spectroscopy and RIMS: element- and isotope-selective laser ionization used both as an ultratrace analytical technique (actinide detection at extreme selectivity, environmental and nuclear-forensic samples) and as a spectroscopy tool for exotic and short-lived isotopes, feeding ion-source development for facilities such as ISOLDE/CERN. A major current thrust is the atomic and ionic spectroscopy of thorium, including the 229mTh isomer that underpins the nuclear-clock effort, done jointly with Schmidt-Kaler's trap group and Duellmann's nuclear chemistry. Relative to the established NV-ensemble quantum-sensing playbook (DEER, nanoscale NMR, T1 relaxometry at pT/sqrt(Hz) ensemble sensitivity), the transferable capability here is selective, quantum-state-resolved detection of single atoms/ions -- the readout problem, approached spectroscopically rather than magnetically.

Department(s)/lab(s): Physics / Laboratoire Charles Fabry (IOGS/X) | Quantum Gases Group LCF (Westbrook/Aspect Lab) @ X
Summary:

Christoph Westbrook co-heads the Quantum Gases group at LCF/IOGS. Research: (1) metastable helium (He*) BEC and ultracold atomic gases β€” atom optics, Bose-Hubbard physics, Anderson localization; (2) correlated atom pair production via four-wave mixing for quantum atom optics sensing; (3) atom laser and matter-wave interferometry. The group pioneered the He* BEC and uses correlated atom pairs for quantum sensing analogous to two-photon quantum optics.

Department(s)/lab(s): Chemistry | Whaley Group (Berkeley Quantum Information & Computation Center) @ UCB
Summary:

Whaley directs Berkeley's Quantum Information and Computation Center and develops theory for quantum control, quantum simulation, and error-corrected quantum sensing protocols using interacting spin ensembles, providing the theoretical underpinning for many solid-state and atomic sensing platforms on campus.

Department(s)/lab(s): Institute of Physics (QUANTUM) | AG Windpassinger - Experimental Quantum Optics and Quantum Information @ JGU
Summary:

Windpassinger's group works on cold neutral atoms as both a platform for fundamental light-matter physics and a deployable sensing technology. The fundamental line uses dysprosium -- the most magnetic element -- to study light propagation in dense dipolar media, where interatomic spacings fall below the optical wavelength and light-induced plus magnetic dipole-dipole interactions produce cooperative effects (superradiance, subradiance); controlled transport in optical dipole traps and microfocusing let them tune from single-atom to collective behaviour. The applied line builds ultracold-atom quantum sensors that survive outside the lab: atom interferometers and BEC sources flown in the Bremen drop tower, on sounding rockets, and on the ISS, aimed at inertial sensing, gravimetry and tests of fundamental constants under microgravity. Relative to the established NV-ensemble quantum-sensing playbook (DEER, nanoscale NMR, T1 relaxometry at pT/sqrt(Hz) ensemble sensitivity), this is the complementary 'cold and fragile but absolutely calibrated' end of the sensing spectrum; the group's real distinguishing asset for a postdoc is the space/microgravity engineering pipeline, which is rare. The group states it is continuously looking for motivated researchers and lists open positions via the PI.

Department(s)/lab(s): Chemistry – Photon Science Institute | Winpenny Group (Molecular Magnetism) @ Manchester
Summary:

Winpenny holds the Regius Chair in Chemistry at Manchester and is a world leader in molecular magnetism and molecular nanomagnets for quantum technologies. Research directions: (1) Molecular nanomagnets β€” synthesis of Cr7Ni 'horseshoe' rings and related cage clusters as prototype molecular qubits with long T2 times; (2) Multi-qubit molecular architectures β€” covalently linked molecular qubit pairs and arrays for quantum gate operations and distributed sensing; (3) Quantum error correction in molecules β€” designing molecular systems encoding logical qubits with error protection; (4) Quantum sensing applications β€” molecular spin systems as ultra-sensitive nanoscale magnetic sensors in the sub-nm regime. Leading the NPL M4Q Network and UK molecular qubit community.

Department(s)/lab(s): Imaging Physics | Witte Lab @ TU Delft
Summary:

Witte's group builds table-top extreme-ultraviolet sources via high-harmonic generation and combines them with coherent diffractive imaging (ptychography) to visualize 3D nanostructures, such as multilayer IC features, at resolutions well below the diffraction limit of visible light. The lab also works on lensless microscopy, photoacoustic imaging/metrology, and ultrafast electron/HHG dynamics, sitting at the interface of fundamental attosecond-adjacent light-matter physics and applied nanometrology; the group is actively hiring as it ramps up at TU Delft.