Experimental Quantum Optics
and Photonics Group


Welcome to the University of Strathclyde’s Experimental Quantum Optics and Photonics Group. We are part of the Optics Division in the Department of Physics. Please contact us if you are interested in working in our research areas. See also the International Graduate School for Quantum Technologies, and available PhD opportunities.

Latest News

CDT Recruitment Event – January 10th 2025
Our Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) in Applied Quantum Technologies will host a recruitment event on January 10th 2025. This event is an excellent opportunity for prospective applicants to learn more about our cutting-edge programme, meet key members of the team, and gain valuable insights into the unique academic and research opportunities we offer.
Phonon excitations of Floquet-driven superfluids in a tilted optical lattice
Interactions in Floquet-driven quantum gases cause unwanted heating and excitation modes. We found a general set of resonance conditions that explain this ‘‘Floquet heating’’ for superfluids in optical lattices. Phys. Rev. Research 6, 023323 (2024).
Spontaneously Sliding Multipole Spin Density Waves in Cold Atoms.

Spontaneously Sliding Multipole Spin Density Waves in Cold Atoms reported in Physical Review Letters

Demonstration of weighted graph optimization on a Rydberg atom array using local light-shifts
Neutral atom arrays have emerged as a versatile platform towards scalable quantum computation and optimisation. In this paper we present first demonstrations of weighted graph optimization on a Rydberg atom array using annealing with local light-shifts. We verify the ability to prepare weighted graphs in 1D and 2D arrays, including embedding a five vertex non-unit disk graph using nine physical qubits. We find common annealing ramps leading to preparation of the target ground state robustly over a substantial range of different graph weightings. This work provides a route to exploring large-scale optimisation of non-planar weighted graphs relevant for solving relevant real-world problems. For more details see PRX Quantum 6, 010301 (2025) or arXiv:2404.02658.

Recent publications

Optical Superlattice for Engineering Hubbard Couplings in Quantum Simulation
Physical Review Letters 134, 053402 (2025)
Quantum simulations of Hubbard models with ultracold atoms rely on the exceptional control of coherent motion provided by optical …
Speeding Up Quantum Measurement Using Space-Time Trade-Off
Physical Review Letters 134, 080801 (2025)
We present a scheme for speeding up quantum measurement. The scheme builds on previous protocols that entangle the system to be …
A Review and Collection of Metrics and Benchmarks for Quantum Computers: definitions, methodologies and software
arXiv (2025)
Quantum computers have the potential to provide an advantage over classical computers in a number of areas. Numerous metrics to …
Demonstration of Weighted-Graph Optimization on a Rydberg-Atom Array Using Local Light Shifts
PRX Quantum 6, 010301 (2025)
Neutral-atom arrays have emerged as a versatile platform toward scalable quantum computation and optimization. In this paper, we …