Montréal Quantum Photonics Seminar Series
📍 J. Armand Bombardier J-1035, Polytechnique Montréal
🗓️ Monday, February 12th/2024
🕜 15:30
Sources and applications for higher order photon states
Tim Thomay
State University of New York.
Abstract: Quantum light enables novel communication schemes that will be the
foundation of the so-called “Quantum Internet” and is used more and more for
sensing applications. However, so far it is not yet clear what kind of light
sources will be the best choice for practical devices. Solid state based
quantum emitters, such as quantum dots and 2D nanostructures have the huge
advantage that they can be incorporated into existing telecommunications
networks and have proven to be a robust platform. I will present an
introduction of how quantum light is generated from semiconductor based
nanostructures. I will start with the first ultrafast pump probe experiments on
single Quantum Dots that helped to understand the spin dynamics in these
systems. I will then talk about how to incorporate nanostructures into fiber
optics devices and their applications for material research. Finally, I will
present our most recent work on using 2D materials such as TMDs as a novel
opportunity in overcoming some of the issues of Quantum Dots and how they can
open up new pathways for quantum light emitters.
Brief Bio: Dr. Thomay is an experimental physicist specializing in solid
state quantum light emitters, ultrafast dynamics of excitonic systems, and
fiber integration of quantum detectors and sources. He is an assistant
professor in the physics department at the State University of New York at Buffalo.
He started to study physics in Konstanz Germany, with stops for his Bachelor’s
degree at the Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Físicas, in Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
under the supervision of Dr. Elisa Baggio-Saitovitch and the University of
Vienna, Austria. After obtaining his master’s degree in Konstanz he also did
his PhD there where he focussed on ultrafast spectroscopy and nanofabrication
of nanoscale semiconductors and photonic structures. He subsequently won a
postdoctoral fellowship grant to study at the National Institute of Standards
and Technology (NIST) in Gaithersburg, MD, USA where he studied the quantum
optical properties of III-VI Quantum Dots and their applications in Quantum
Communication. After being a research scientist in the Electrical Engineering
Department at the State University of New York at Buffalo, he became an
Assistant Professor in the Physics Department.
Contact: nicolas.quesada@polymtl.ca