Bio: Dr. Jon Atkinson is a CQIQC Postdoctoral Researcher in the group of Prof. Amr Helmy in the Electrical & Computer Engineering Department at the University of Toronto.  He is interested in designing, fabricating, and characterizing quantum photonic devices on the nanoscale for applications in quantum imaging, quantum computing, and quantum sensing.

Jon completed his PhD in Nanoengineering in the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering at the University of Waterloo where he worked on Electrochromic Devices using nanostructured materials. Before that, he did his MSc in Photonics in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Alberta where he studied the manipulation of light at the nanoscale using metamaterials.

These are two of his most recent articles: “Difference Frequency Generation in Edge Emitting Photonic Crystal Lasers” published in the Journal of Lightwave Technology and “Controlling evanescent waves using silicon photonic all-dielectric metamaterials for dense integration,” published in Nature Communications. 

CQIQC: Can you tell us about your particular area of expertise and what it entails?

JA: My research involves generating, guiding, and detecting quantum light using nanostructures. Current detectors and sources of quantum light are very large and on the scale of an entire room. For quantum applications such as sensing, computing, and imaging to become more commonly used and practical, the size of the components must be greatly reduced. By using and combining nanostructures and nanodevices on a single chip, we can make these applications much more practical. More specifically, I work on the design, simulation, and characterization of these photonic chips for their quantum properties.

CQIQC: What kind of research problems appeal to you? 

JA: I am someone who cares about large and interdisciplinary problems. In general, these problems are quite complex and difficult to solve. As a result, they require large research teams composed of scientists and engineers from different backgrounds.  More specifically, I like working on problems in quantum physics that can be solved using nanostructures and nanomaterials that can be fabricated on a large scale for medical, energy, and computing applications.  

CQIQC: What led you to be interested in this particular area, and how did it bring you to U of T?

JA: I completed my undergraduate degree in Biomedical Electrical Engineering. During my final year design project, I started working in nanophotonics, which sparked my interest and led me to pursue a Master’s and PhD in quantum nanophotonics. The Helmy group is what brought me to U of T. The diversity and size of the group, in terms of design, as well as the laboratory capabilities for performing quantum optical measurements, were major factors that drew me to the group. After completing my PhD, I wanted to focus more on quantum optics applications using nanostructures, both theoretically and experimentally, and the Helmy group was able to provide that opportunity for me. 

CQIQC: What are you currently working on? Do you see this as a largely theoretical pursuit at this time, or are there potential practical applications?

I am working on several different projects at the moment, all for practical purposes.  However, most of them are still at the theoretical stage of being designed and conceptualized before they can be built. Specifically, I am working on designing nonlinear photonic resonators using nanostructures that have a higher efficiency of entangled photon-pair generation and squeezing than current state of the art on-chip and free-space methods. I am also working on nanophotonic devices that can detect squeezed quantum light or entangled photon pairs on chip in contrast to coupling the light off chip to large detectors which has large losses.  

CQIQC: What would you say has been your career highlight to date? 

The highlight for me so far early in my career has been having a co-first author manuscript published in Nature Communications and successfully defending my PhD thesis. Furthermore, I would say that reaching a point in my career where I can be independent with my research and have original research ideas that are executable.

CQIQC: What are your hopes for the future of quantum research and technologies?

My hope is that we find a way to make both the quantum internet and quantum computers fully practical. It will allow us to perform large computations with speed and accuracy for many of the complex problems in our world, specifically energy, medicine, and food. Additionally, the quantum internet will strongly enhance security making it much more difficult to commit online crimes. I also would like to see the expansion of quantum technologies into applications that have not been thought of yet.  

CQIQC: Do any challenges loom especially large for researchers in your area?

The main challenge in my area of research is the capability of fabricating nanoscale devices that are high in quality with nanoscale critical dimensions. Designing photonic chips for quantum applications is well underway but fabricating and generating the results that are predicted by simulation and calculations is quite difficult. With further improvements in the quality of nanofabrication, the losses of such devices will decrease, leading to a more practical realization of high quality and efficient quantum chips.  

CQIQC: If you were to talk to someone considering the U of T post doc program, what advice might you give them? 

I would tell them to make sure to find a Principal Investigator whose projects genuinely interest them and align well with their research background. It is a good idea to interview with multiple research groups to get a clearer sense of the best fit for. There is a lot of high-quality research going on at the U of T. Plus, U of T is in a big city with a lot of things to do and a wide array of good places to eat!

CQIQC: Where do you think your research will take you next? 

I am not entirely sure where my research will take me, whether that be in academia or industry. What I do hope is for my research to have a substantial impact in the field of quantum nanophotonics by making fully integrated quantum nanophotonic devices possible, helping to solve the world’s most complex problems.