Ledoux-Rak works on molecular and polymer nonlinear optics - second-harmonic generation, electro-optic modulators, and photonic materials/devices - a fundamental-light and nonlinear-photonics program (legacy LPQM at ENS Cachan). In the broader landscape of NV-centre ensemble quantum sensing (DEER, nano-NMR, T1 relaxometry) operating near pT/sqrt(Hz) sensitivity, this work connects via nonlinear-optical materials for photon-pair generation and modulation.
Mahmoodian is a quantum-optics theorist working on waveguide QED and photon-photon interactions: how strongly-coupled emitters in a one-dimensional photonic channel generate non-classical photon-number correlations, and how those correlated multi-photon states can be exploited. His most sensing-relevant result is the demonstration that photon-number-correlated states produced by a single emitter can be used for quantum-enhanced metrology and absorption spectroscopy, beating the shot-noise limit with a source that requires no squeezing. He also works on the fundamental limits of quantum-enhanced measurement. Positioned against the established body of NV-ensemble quantum sensing work — DEER, nanoscale NMR and T1 relaxometry protocols operating at pT/sqrt(Hz) field sensitivity — his work belongs to the 'fundamental light physics' arm of the search rather than the spin arm, and it addresses the question directly downstream of pT/sqrt(Hz) ensembles: given a shot-noise-limited readout, what does non-classical light buy you? Theory PI, but tightly coupled to photonics experiments.
Murthy leads the Nanoscale Quantum Optics group at ETH, studying light-matter interactions in nanostructures to engineer novel quantum states of light. Research directions: (1) Photon-photon interactions — achieving strong effective photon-photon interactions via coupling to quantum emitters in 2D materials and optical nanocavities; exploring photonic Mott insulators and collective quantum phases of light; (2) 2D semiconductor quantum emitters — localized excitons in TMD heterostructures as sources of single photons and entangled photon pairs; (3) Quantum light from cavities — engineering photon statistics and squeezing using cavity-QED with 2D materials; (4) Ultrafast quantum optics — attosecond-scale probing of light-matter entanglement. New group as of ~2023.
Nguyen's group at UCL (based at Royal Institution) focuses on magnetic and fluorescent nanoparticles for biomedical sensing and therapy. Research directions: (1) Magnetic nanoparticle synthesis — iron oxide (SPION) and other magnetic nanoparticles with controlled size, shape, and surface chemistry for MRI contrast and magnetic hyperthermia; (2) Biosensing platforms — functionalized nanoparticles as MRI-detectable sensors for specific biomolecular targets; magnetic particle imaging (MPI) for real-time tracking; (3) Plasmonic nanoparticles — gold nanoparticles for optical biosensing and photothermal therapy; (4) Fluorescent nanoparticles — QD- and dye-conjugated probes for live-cell imaging. Relevant to quantum sensing through magnetic nanoparticle platforms.
Palomba works on nonlinear nanophotonics and plasmonics: exploiting the extreme field confinement of metallic and hybrid nanostructures to obtain efficient frequency conversion, second- and third-harmonic generation and four-wave mixing in device footprints far smaller than conventional nonlinear optics allows, and integrating these with silicon photonics. The applications the group targets include on-chip nonclassical light generation and nanoscale sensing. Positioned against the established body of NV-ensemble quantum sensing work — DEER, nanoscale NMR and T1 relaxometry protocols operating at pT/sqrt(Hz) field sensitivity — the plasmonic field-enhancement physics is the same toolkit used to build the nanoantennas that raise photon collection from single NV centres and thereby move single-defect sensing toward the pT/sqrt(Hz) performance of ensembles. Borderline inclusion; the group is device-centred, which cuts against the stated preference.
Palpant (current LuMIn director) studies ultrafast optical response and thermoplasmonics of metal nanoparticles - photothermal nanoscale heat sources and sensors for photonics and biomedicine. Primary appointment CentraleSupelec; based at the ENS Paris-Saclay LuMIn site. In the broader landscape of NV-centre ensemble quantum sensing (DEER, nano-NMR, T1 relaxometry) operating near pT/sqrt(Hz) sensitivity, this work is adjacent through plasmonic photothermal transduction and sensing.
Unnithan runs a sensor-engineering group spanning plasmonic colour filters and metasurface-based CMOS image and spectral sensors, thermal/hyperspectral cameras, machine learning on sensor data, and — the relevant thread here — the engineering and packaging of quantum diamond magnetometers, in a joint programme with the Melbourne physics groups and Phasor Innovation aimed at navigation, subsurface sensing and eventual healthcare use. He has extensive industry links (Hort-Eye, KDH) and an entrepreneurial orientation. Positioned against the established body of NV-ensemble quantum sensing work — DEER, nanoscale NMR and T1 relaxometry protocols operating at pT/sqrt(Hz) field sensitivity — his role in that collaboration is on the readout, optics and integration side rather than the spin physics, i.e. turning a laboratory pT/sqrt(Hz) NV ensemble into a fielded instrument. Caveat against the stated preference: this group is substantially device-fabrication and product-oriented rather than sensitivity-limited fundamental measurement.
Reece runs UNSW's optical trapping and nanophotonics laboratory. The group combines optical tweezers with spectroscopy and microfluidics to characterise individual nanoparticles and cells: trapping and spectroscopically interrogating plasmonic core-satellite assemblies (with Gooding and Tilley), measuring single-cell mechanics, and building porous-silicon and photonic-crystal resonant structures for label-free biosensing where the analyte shifts a cavity resonance. Positioned against the established body of NV-ensemble quantum sensing work — DEER, nanoscale NMR and T1 relaxometry protocols operating at pT/sqrt(Hz) field sensitivity — optical trapping is the standard way to hold a nanoscale sensor — including a nanodiamond hosting an NV ensemble at pT/sqrt(Hz) — at a controlled position inside a cell or fluid, and levitated-nanodiamond spin-mechanics is an active field that this group's capabilities map onto almost exactly. Strong practical fit for a bio-oriented quantum sensing candidate.
Roberts leads Melbourne's optics group and is a chief investigator in the ARC Centre of Excellence for Transformative Meta-Optical Systems (TMOS). The work is about extracting information that conventional intensity imaging discards: metasurface-encoded point spread functions that recover the full polarisation state or quantitative phase in a single shot, subwavelength structures for edge enhancement and optical computing, and vectorial beam shaping. For a quantum-sensing candidate the relevant hook is that meta-optics is becoming the standard way to miniaturise the optical front end of NV, atomic-vapour and single-molecule sensors, and to add orientational sensitivity to imaging. Positioned against the established body of NV-ensemble quantum sensing work — DEER, nanoscale NMR and T1 relaxometry protocols operating at pT/sqrt(Hz) field sensitivity — her metasurface collection optics and polarisation-resolved detection schemes are being applied to improve photon collection efficiency and orientational discrimination in exactly the NV-ensemble geometries used for pT/sqrt(Hz) magnetometry. Preferred attribute present: orientation-resolved methods that push past standard resolution limits.
The Stern Group explores fundamental quantum interactions of photons with 2D materials, nano-scale structures, and atoms. Key thrusts: (1) Valley-selective exciton-polaritons in monolayer transition-metal dichalcogenides (MoS₂, MoSe₂, WSe₂) embedded in optical microcavities — hybrid light-matter quasiparticles with valley-selective polarization and cavity-modified dynamics; (2) 2D semiconductor quantum emitters — quantum-dot-like single-photon emitters formed by confinement in TMD nanoribbons and by chemical functionalization/strain engineering of defects; (3) Astrophotonics: collaboration with Argonne National Laboratory and the Australian Astronomical Observatory to design and fabricate silicon ring-resonator photonic circuits for OH sky-background suppression in near-IR astronomical spectrographs; (4) Quantum non-reciprocal photonics in axisymmetric microresonators. Experimental tools: time-resolved spectroscopy, single-photon counting, nanofabrication. DOE Early Career Award; ONR Young Investigator Award; Sloan Research Fellow 2013. Affiliated with Fermilab-Northwestern CAPST.