Photons are fundamental entities for quantum information processing. They can carry information for large distances, and they can represent quantum bits as well. For both applications, single photon sources are essential ingredients of the experimental setups.

In our lab we are developing single photon sources based on the fluorescence of single ions embedded into nanocrystals. The excitation of the ions and the collection of the emitted photons is realized in a home brew confocal microscope setup. We are aiming at two wavelength ranges: visible photons between 700-800nm wavelength and infrared photons around 1550nm wavelength. The visible photons could be used in boson sampling quantum computer configurations, while the infrared photons can be transferred to large distances in “prepare and measure” type quantum communication experiments.

The task of the candidate is to participate in the development of the optical setup of our single photon source experiment. He/she should optimize the irradiation of the nanocrystal samples and enhance the efficiency of the collection of the emitted photons. We also plan to couple the emitted light into an optical fiber.