QUANTIFY - QUantum enhANched phoTonic Integrated sensors For metrologY

Project description and objective

Over the years, sensors have expanded their field of use from scientific exploration to consumer electronics, leading to the evolution of their market. Quantum technologies are expected to further enhance sensor performance, unlocking additional application domains by exploiting non-classical correlations of light and matter to extract relevant information beyond the limits imposed by classical noise processes. This improvement includes enhancements in sensitivity, specificity, and uncertainty.

The ability to produce, control, and measure quantum states in transportable devices is crucial for extending the operating environment, lifetime, power consumption, and cost-effectiveness of sensors. QUANTIFY aligns perfectly with this vision and the goal of demonstrating quantum sensing capabilities beyond classical limits for real-world applications, as outlined in the Strategic Research Agenda of the Quantum Flagship Program.

The objective of QUANTIFY is to advance photonic quantum-enhanced sensors to the next level of integration by developing essential building blocks and novel quantum-enhanced techniques for future chip-scale optical clocks, optically pumped magnetometers, and optomechanical temperature sensors. QUANTIFY utilizes different photonic platforms combined with a novel hybrid integration technique to integrate key optical and optomechanical functionalities onto a single chip.

To enhance the performance of clocks and magnetometers, QUANTIFY introduces a photonic integrated squeezed light source, which also represents a significant step toward realizing a universal quantum computer based on photonics. Additionally, QUANTIFY demonstrates a novel absolute temperature sensor with an extended detection range, from cryogenic to room temperature, leveraging a nanoscale optomechanical approach that couples photonic and phononic degrees of freedom.

All developed sensors will undergo assessment using metrological protocols and national primary standards in National Metrological Laboratories to facilitate their exploitation in real applications for end-users.