Colloquia & Guest Speakers

Developing Integrated Photonics Hardware for Quantum Networking With Rare-Earth Ions

Dr. Robert Pettit, Lead Quantum Scientist at memQ

Monday, April 15, 2024
3:30 p.m.

Presented in-person in Goergen 101 and on Zoom

Zoom Information

Zoom:https://rochester.zoom.us/j/91669460596?pwd=T1VzbEFreVd3NFR5QnlUV09YWlZWZz09
Meeting ID: 916 6946 0596
Passcode: 0330


Abstract

Rare-earth ions offer a promising platform for the development of quantum repeaters, which will provide the essential links between distant network nodes in a quantum internet. In addition to weakly coupled inner-shell transitions with long optical and spin coherence times, rare-earth ions can also be doped into CMOS-compatible host materials that pair well with established semiconductor foundry processes. In this talk, I will highlight recent progress in coupling rare-earth ions with silicon photonics and discuss some outstanding challenges to be overcome.

Biography

Headshot of Dr. Robert Pettit.
Dr. Robert Pettit

Robert Pettit is the Lead Quantum Scientist at memQ, a Chicago-based startup company focused on developing integrated photonics hardware for quantum networking with rare-earth ions. Prior to joining memQ, he completed his Ph.D. in Optics at the University of Rochester in Rochester, NY and was awarded an Intelligence Community Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Marlyand in College Park, MD.