We are the quantum theory team led by Dr Erik Gauger at Heriot-Watt University.
To learn more please scroll down or use the site menu.
We study how harnessing quantum mechanical properties of nanostructures enables novel kinds of technologies:
Unlocking the ultimate limits of energy efficiency requires a physical understanding at level of single quanta of energy.
Information processing in the quantum world offers fascinating non-classical advantages.
Quantum systems are fragile, and this can exploited for probing the environment.
Group leader, Associate Professor at Heriot-Watt, and Member of the Royal Society of Edinburgh's Young Academy of Scotland.
Moritz is a senior Research Associate working on efficient and exact simulations of nanoscale quantum devices, as part of a joint project with collaborators at St Andrews.
Dominic is a Research Associate working on Hong-Ou-Mandel metrology and quantum imaging in close collaboration with the HWQuantum group.
Nick has recently joined the group as a Research Associate to work on bio-inspired, quantum-enhanced light-harvesting.
Nicole will join soon as a PhD student to work on quantum-enhanced approaches to light harvesting with condensed matter nanostructures and quantum biology.
Working on Hong-Ou-Mandel metrology and quantum imaging in close collaboration with the HWQuantum group.
Associate member with primary home in Prof Erika Andersson's group. David is working on quantum communication as part of the Quantum Technology Hub on Communication.
Berke's work is coherent vs incoherent laser sources and excitation together with the Edinburgh Mostly Quantum Lab.
Dominic works on exciton energy transfer. He is jointly supervised with Brendon Lovett and based at St Andrews.
Scott is co-supervised by Felix Pollock in Melbourne. His project studies information theoretic approaches to optimising quantum transport.
Alex is interested in quantum transport in membranes. He is jointly supervised with Brendon Lovett.
David is an Oxford-based PhD student whose primary home is the group of Dr Natalia Ares. He is interested in Machine Learning approaches to understanding, controlling, and optimising solid-state quantum devices.
We contributed to the study Understanding resonant charge transport through weakly coupled single-molecule junctions which is due to appear in Nature Communications, and which tests our recent work Beyond Marcus theory and the Landauer-Büttiker approach in molecular junctions: A unified framework .
Our work on Light-harvesting with guide-slide superabsorbing condensed-matter nanostructures was selected for a Supplemental Cover in the The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters. Our study shows that superabsorbing light-harvesting should indeed be achievable, even with antennae consisting of noisy condensed matter nanostructures.
Our paper in The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters shows how quantum interference in spiro-conjugated molecules could lead to attractive components for functional molecular circuits. Earlier work on single molecule junctions in Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics translates the celebrated mechanism of Environment-Assisted Quantum Transport (ENAQT) from energy to charge transfer processes.
In our publication Attosecond-Resolution Hong-Ou-Mandel Interferometry we demonstrate that a Fisher-information informed protocol improves experimental HOM sensitivity by factor ∼100 and makes it comparable to classical phase-sensitive interferometry.
Our paper Photocell Optimization Using Dark State Protection, concerned with beating the famous Shockley-Queisser limit for light harvesting by exploiting collective quantum mechanical effects, has been selected as an Editor's Suggestion by Physical Review Letters and has been covered by ArsTechnica .
Orbs is the result of an interdisciplinary collaboration exploring the use of games for the communication of science. This project was supported by the Scottish Crucible programme of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. The finished game, which was presented at DIGRA in Dundee, August 2016.
In a recent publication in Nature Communcations we show that the signature quantum effect of superradiance can be inverted, promising better photon detectors and improved light harvesting. Our paper has been highlighted by Nature Photonics and Physics World.
The debate we have triggered on the utility of postselected weak measurements for designing better quantum sensors continues.
Performing measurements which only reveal little information can sometimes be useful in the quantum world, as this does not collapse the wavefunction. Over the last few years, it has been suggested that such measurements combined with judicial postselection may even unlock superior metrological performance. However, analysing this question for magnetic sensors a couple of years ago we found no advantage. Our publication has since triggered a lively debate, inspiring a host of follow up work from all over the world.
We have also been digging deeper with an article in Phys. Rev. X which deals with imperfections at the detection stage. However, once more we find that amplification obtained by weak measurements generally does not improve metrological performance.
Together with Chris Ferrie and Josh Combes, we have now posted a survey about the state of play and remaining open questions in weak-value amplification.
Intriguingly, there is now increasing evidence that the compass sense of birds involves a quantum mechanical process, which may enable birds to literally 'see' the magnetic field.
How precisely do birds navigate over long distances without getting lost? In a Biophysical Journal article, we suggest that certain migratory birds might literally ‘see’ Earth’s magnetic field superimposed on their normal vision, reminiscent of a fighter pilot’s heads up display.
Our proposal builds on the established Radical Pair model of the avian compass, replacing the hypothetical chemical signal transduction stage, for which no evidence exists, with a physical mechanism, by which an electrical dipole field directly influence the visual process in the bird’s eye.
Apart from simplifying the story, our model provides an explanation as to why the evolution of an extraordinarily long compass coherence time would have been favoured by natural selection. This provides at least a partial answer to this puzzling questions which we raised with a previous Physical Review Letter on the same topic.
An elegant proposal for wiring up remote spin qubits in the solid state relies on globally controlled, optically dark spin chains. We have recently shown that, suitably adapted, this idea can indeed work in non-idealised, state-of-the-art diamond structures. Our publication in Phys. Rev. Lett. was selected as a research highlight by the Asian Pacific Physics Newsletter.
We are looking for enthusiastic people to join our group!
Opportunities for fully funded PhD studentships for UK and EU applicants exist. Places are filled on a competitive, rolling basis.
Harvesting and distributing energy are two of the major challenges faced by society. In Nature, these processes are crucial for all forms of life, and have been fine-tuned within living organisms for hundreds of millions of years.
On the atomic scale, energy is ‘quantised’, e.g. as a photon of light, and its behaviour is governed by quantum mechanics. Taking inspiration from the ingenious solutions found in Nature, in this project you will explore novel ways of harnessing quantum effects in artificial, ‘quantum-engineered’ devices and molecules. This will involve applying and deriving suitable open quantum systems approaches for modelling the properties of quantum many body systems in realistic condensed matter environments.
Starting with the light harvesting step, the aim of this project is to develop blueprints for highly efficient energy harvesters based on condensed matter quantum nanostructures.
Many animals use Earth’s magnetic field as an aid for navigation. For several species of birds the evidence points to a compass based on the quantum properties of the electronic spin. However, these compass spins will not only experience Earth’s magnetic field but must also interact strongly with the ‘hot and wet’ biological environment. The precise workings of the birds' compass remain a topic of debate, but analysing data from behavioural studies already allows us to extract some of its surprising properties, and we have recently predicted world-record spin coherence times [2]. Recent experimental studies confirm the extraordinary sensitivity of the bird’s compass to tiny electromagnetic field fluctuations, and thus underline the need for a better theoretical understanding of this biological quantum system.
In this project you will be developing theoretical models of the physical properties of a radical pair of spins in a condensed matter environment. This will be accomplished by applying and developing non-Markovian open quantum systems techniques. The goal of this project will be to understand how the exceptionally long-lived quantum coherence may survive in the messy physical environment surrounding the core compass unit, and to develop experimentally testable predictions.
Many solid-state nanostructures, such as semiconductor quantum dots and crystal defects in diamond or silicon, feature both an optical transition as well as an electron and nuclear spins. Owing to their hierarchy of coupled quantum degrees of freedom, they are considered particularly promising candidates for a host of quantum information technologies, ranging from secure communication and enhanced sensing to fully fledged information processing.
In this theoretical project you will explore the physics of solid-state nanostructures with multiple coupled degrees of freedom. Building on our existing theory work, a particular goal of this project will be to design specific protocols which can be tested in the labs of our experimental collaborators.
Spin-based sensors are a promising platform for nanoscale magnetic resonance imaging. This project is concerned with unlocking their full potential through the exploration and development of quantum control approaches based on Hamiltonian- and machine learning approaches. More info is available here.
Unfortunately, there are no current openings, however, we would be very happy to support personal fellowship applications. Please get in touch if interested.
We expect to advertise two fully funded three year PhD studentships to start in autumn 2021. Check back closer to the time.
More details on the project to follow soon. However, please don't hesitate to get in touch now to learn more available projects and to find out how to apply.
Dr Erik M Gauger
Room DB 1.10
Institute of Photonics and Quantum Sciences
School of Engineering and Physical Sciences
Heriot-Watt University
Edinburgh EH14 4AS, United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)131 451 3345
e.gauger@hw.ac.uk
