Quantum BC Seminar with Dr. Gregor Weihs

Quantum BC Seminar Series Tuesday, October 28, 2025 at 2pm BC Time with Dr. Gregor Weihs

Join on Zoom: https://ubc.zoom.us/j/69443327772?pwd=TGhhTXFIQ3ZiUmNrN0pUa3FObTNydz09

Meeting ID: 694 4332 7772 Passcode: 996727

Join in Person At SFU Burnaby: SCP 8445.2

Seminar Title: Quantum Science Austria & Quantum Light Sources

Seminar Abstract:

This presentation will have two parts. For one I would like to introduce Quantum Science Austria, a large Cluster of Excellence funded by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF). Under its umbrella about 70 research groups at six Austrian institutions pursue cutting-edge research on three topics in fundamental quantum science: “Quantum Physics of Space, Time and Gravity”, “New Paradigms of Quantum Information Science”, and “Physics of Engineered Quantum Many-Body Systems”. In addition to its research the Cluster promotes training of early-stage researchers and knowledge and technology transfer.

The second part of my presentation is all about quantum light sources. High-quality single photons, entangled photon pairs and other quantum states of light are what powers optical quantum information processing and quantum communication. In our research we rely on spontaneous parametric down-conversion in crystals or waveguides and on single semiconductor quantum dots.

Recent results include photons with unprecedented spectral purity through joint nonlinearity and pump engineering, ultra-wide-band photon pairs from integrated nonlinear semiconductor waveguides [1], single photons from quantum dots with controllable photon-number coherence [2], and coherent control of dark states in quantum dots for advanced encoding in quantum communication [3].

1. Thiel, L. Jehle, R. J. Chapman, et al., Time-bin entanglement at telecom wavelengths from a hybrid photonic integrated circuit, Scientific Reports 14, 9990 (2024), https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-60758-4
2. Karli, D. A. Vajner, F. Kappe, et al., Controlling the photon number coherence of solid-state quantum light sources for quantum cryptography, npj Quantum Information 10, 17 (2024), https://doi.org/10.1038/s41534-024-00811-2
3. Kappe, R. Schwarz, Y. Karli, et al., Keeping the photon in the dark: Enabling quantum dot dark state control by chirped pulses and magnetic fields, Science Advances 11, eadu4261 (2025), https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adu4261

Short Bio:

Gregor Weihs is Vice-Rector for Research at the University of Innsbruck, Professor of Photonics at its Department for Experimental Physics and Director of Research of the Cluster of Excellence Quantum Science Austria. He received his MSc degree from Innsbruck University in 1994. His PhD degree from Vienna University was awarded “sub auspiciis praesidentis” by the President of the Austrian Republic in 2000. Before returning to Innsbruck, he held a junior faculty position at the University of Vienna, was Consulting Assistant Professor at Stanford University, Research Fellow at the University of Tokyo, and Associate Professor at the University of Waterloo, Canada, where he was awarded the Canada Research Chair in Quantum Photonics. From 2016 to 2021 he was the Vice-President for Natural Sciences and Engineering of the Austrian Science Fund and its interim President for several months. Other major awards include a Starting Grant by the European Research Council and the Wilhelm-Exner medal of the Austrian Trade and Crafts Association. He was a member of the Young Academy of the Austrian Academy of Sciences and a Fellow in the QIP program of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research. His research interests include fundamental physics, quantum and semiconductor optics and quantum information.