Photonics is another way of saying “optical wiring” and in NQIT we are developing the optics to wire-up individual atoms, by collecting photons, particles of light, which they emit and using measurements to build a quantum connection between the atoms, known as entanglement. In parallel, we are also developing devices to enable quantum technologies based on light.

In this work package we will develop low-loss integrated optical switches for routing the photons emitted from the quantum network nodes developed in WPs 1 and 4. We are also developing a suite of tools for wide-area quantum networks, such as photon sources, multiplexed quantum key distribution, certified quantum random number generators, unit-efficiency photo-detectors, wavelength conversion and modular waveguide chips.

Read more about our Photonics work.