At the intersection of quantum optics, ultrafast non-linear optics and quantum dynamics, we investigate fundamental quantum phenomena in light-matter systems and their application to emerging quantum technologies, molecular sensing and control.
Ultrafast quantum optics group
research

Quantum optics & devices
Quantum devices for emerging technologies, including quantum memories for local processing and random number generators for quantum cryptography.
Molecular memory for light:
THz-bandwidth pulses stored in molecular hydrogen for over 10,000 times their duration. Read more in our paper in PRL (Bustard et.al. PRL 111,083901).
A Diamond Quantum Memory
Broadband single photons stored in a room-temperature bulk diamond. Photons created by Spontaneous Parametric Downconversion and stored in the optical phonon modes. See our latest work in PRL (England et. al., PRL 114, 053602, 2015)
Quantum Random Number Generation
Spontaneously Initiated Stimulated Raman Scattering (SISRS) employed to amplify quantum vacuum noise. Random numbers extracted from phase and energy fluctuations. Device integrated into a waveguide architecture for 145 Mb/s operation

Ultrafast quantum light & matter
Quantum dynamics in atomic and molecular systems
Emergent properties of complex light-matter systems
Coherence and entanglement in non-classical light-matter systems
Control and metrology of quantum systems
See our latest work in:

Sources
Single-photon sources for quantum optics
Generation of short-pulse vacuum-UV light
Ultrafast frequency-tunable sources

Non-linear spectroscopies
High-order light-matter interactions for molecular sensing, near and far.

Non-linear optics
Non-linear optics for frequency conversion & ultrafast spectroscopy
Projects
Want to work with us…? Please let us know if you’re interested in any of the projects listed here, or have project suggestions of your own that might be suitable for the femtolabs – we’re always open to scientific discussion, new ideas and new collaborations. The projects listed here are currently ongoing @femtolabs, or are open/suggested projects based on our expertise, capabilities and current research directions. Projects are generally targeted at a 4-6 month timescale, and can be tailored towards students or post-docs. For more details see the full project page, and the femtolab intro slides.

Fibre VUV generation & applications

Heterogeneous & GPU compute

Quantum Random Number Generation

Trans jacket inscription of FBGs

Direct Ion Detection & Detector Technology Development

Intense light-matter interactions for source development

Photoionization Interferometry & Metrology

Augmented and Virtual Reality for Data Visualization & Research Applications
Publications
Recent publications & highlights, see all or view the full list

Molecular Frame Photoelectron Angular Distributions in Polyatomic Molecules from Lab Frame Coherent Rotational Wavepacket Evolution
11th December 2020
Margaret Gregory, Paul Hockett, Albert Stolow, Varun Makhija arXiv:2012.04561, Dec. 2020 The application of a matrix-based reconstruction protocol for obtaining Molecular Frame (MF) photoelectron angu...Read More

Photoelectron angular distributions from resonant two-photon ionisation of adiabatically aligned naphthalene and aniline molecules
23rd October 2020
Jacqueline Arlt , Dhirendra P. Singh , James O. F. Thompson , Adam S. Chatterley , Paul Hockett , Henrik Stapelfeldt & Katharine L. Reid Molecular Physics, Article: e1836411 | Received 03 Aug 2020...Read More

Multivariate Discrimination in Quantum Target Detection
6th May 2020
Update July 2020: now published as Appl. Phys. Lett. 117, 044001 (2020); https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0012429 [Submitted on 1 May 2020] Peter Svihra, Yingwen Zhang, Paul Hockett, Steven Ferrante, Benjami...Read More
Blog
Fresh new science as it at happens at UqO: lab news, papers for discussion, the work of the day, exciting results and honorable failures…

Molecular Frame Photoelectron Angular Distributions in Polyatomic Molecules from Lab Frame Coherent Rotational Wavepacket Evolution
11th December 2020
Margaret Gregory, Paul Hockett, Albert Stolow, Varun Makhija arXiv:2012.04561, Dec. 2020 The application of a matrix-based reconstruction protocol for obtaining Molecular Frame (MF) photoelectron angu...Read More

Photoelectron angular distributions from resonant two-photon ionisation of adiabatically aligned naphthalene and aniline molecules
23rd October 2020
Jacqueline Arlt , Dhirendra P. Singh , James O. F. Thompson , Adam S. Chatterley , Paul Hockett , Henrik Stapelfeldt & Katharine L. Reid Molecular Physics, Article: e1836411 | Received 03 Aug 2020...Read More

JCEP seminar videos online
7th July 2020
The recent JCEP* seminar series is now availble online as a series of videos. This should provide a flavour of current research at NRC and the University of Ottawa, for those interested. * JCEP = Join...Read More
Photo
Snapshots of work-in-progress, via our Instagram feed.
See femtolab.ca@Vimeo for videos.
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Lab
Femtolab is built around a range of ultrafast laser systems and experimental stations, with equipment & expertise for high-precision ultrafast experiments from the VUV to the IR. For more details see the femtolab intro slides.

High-Energy
Regenerative amplifiers at kHz rates for high-energy femtosecond pulses

Non-Classical
Single-photon sources for quantum optics

High-Repetition Rate
Ultrafast oscillators for MHz rate femtosecond pulses

Tunable
Optical parametric oscillators (OPOs) & amplifiers (OPAs) for wavelength tunable femtosecond pulses from UV to IR, bespoke non-linear sources for UV and VUV

Charged Particle Imaging
Vacuum-chambers for time-resolved ion & electron imaging and spectroscopy

Non-Linear Microscopy
Ultrafast non-linear micrscopy
People
In-house expertise, visitors & students

Rune Lausten
NRC staff scientist & group leader

Ben Sussman
NRC staff scientist & programme director

Philip Bustard
NRC staff scientist

Duncan England
NRC research associate
Research interests: THz-bandwidth quantum memories and high-speed quantum random number generation.
PhD: University of Oxford, UK – Ian Walmsley’s Ultrafst Optics Group
MSci: University of Durham, UK – Atomic and Molecular Physics Group

Paul Hockett
NRC staff scientist
Research interests: ultrafast quantum light & matter, including light-matter coupling, quantum dynamics and metrology, ultrafast spectroscopy & molecular detection; data analysis, coding, open data & open science.
Orcid // Google Scholar // ResearchGate // Figshare // arXiv // github // OSF
Books: Quantum Metrology with Photoelectrons, vols. I & II (2018)
Videos:
Phase-sensitive Photoelectron Metrology (DAMOP 2017)
General phenomenology of ionization from aligned molecular ensembles
Collaborators
We regularly collaborate with colleagues within NRC and elsewhere

Ultrafast quantum optics and optical metrology
Quantum optics
Ian Walmsley (experiment), Josh Nunn (theory)
University of Oxford

IQC Quantum Optics and Quantum Information Group
Quantum optics
Kevin Resch
Department of Physics & Astronomy and the Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC), University of Waterloo

Slepkov biophotonics lab
Biophotonics & non-linear microscopy
Aaron Slepkov
Trent University

Femtosekundenspektroskopie und ultraschnelle Laserkontrolle
Ultrafast spectroscopy & quantum control
Thomas Baumert & Matthias Wollenhaupt
University of Kassel

Quantum Technologies
Quantum information & quantum optics
Ben Sussman
NRC & University of Ottawa

NRC Theory & Computation
Quantum theory & simulation

NRC attosecond science
Attosecond science
David Villeneuve & Paul Corkum
NRC & University of Ottawa

JASlab
Attosecond science
David Villeneuve & Paul Corkum
NRC-uOttawa Joint Attosecond Science Laboratory

Molecular Photonics Group
Ultrafast chemical dynamics
Albert Stolow
NRC, Queen’s University & University of Ottawa
Contact
We are located at NRC’s 100 Sussex Drive facility in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
We are always open for new students, collaborators and partners, please get in touch.