Quantum technologies are being harnessed to deliver functionalities and properties otherwise unattainable within the confines of classical physics. For example, quantum communication and information are increasingly reliant on light beams with strongly non-classical properties for the exchange of quantum-protected information. However, the lack of interaction between photons limits their use for processing tasks. To this end, the hybridization of the light quanta to material excitations in a solid-state quantum element may offer an elegant way forward to implement the interaction between quantum bits. Presently a number of quantum platforms analogous to artificial atoms have been successfully used to generate single light quanta, yet the mismatch between the photon wavelength and the physical size of these systems hinders their integration in optical cavities which would greatly enhance their performance through the confinement of photons. The recent discovery of ambient-stable and electric field tuneable interlayer excitons in self-assembled homobilayers atomically thin (2D) semiconductors (transition metal dichalcogenides, TMD), offers an unprecedented opportunity to pioneer room temperature hybrid photon/matter quantum platforms in the strongly correlated regime in optical cavities. This ambitious quest is the focus of our interdisciplinary proposal which aims to explore a new class of quantum two-level systems (qubits). The envisioned breakthrough in the room temperature operation will be secured by exploiting polariton blockade down to the quantum level, i.e. single-polariton, in layered TMDs. The synergic interaction of leading experimentalists (Prof Russo and Prof Lagoudakis) and theorists (Prof Portnoi and Dr Kyriienko) with complementary core expertise (photonics, 2D material and quantum opto-electronics) and their academic (University of Lecce) and industrial project partners (IBM and WaveOptics) will be the trampoline for launching this ambitious science discovery into ground-breaking quantum systems.

Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.

With decades of proven success, lasers have become central to many technologies used in manufacturing, communications, medicine and entertainment. Yet laser research continues, advancing current laser technology and developing new types of non-conventional light sources for new applications. We have just pioneered nanophotonic lasers on a graph, formed by nanostructured polymer waveguide meshes, akin to nano-scale spider webs. These are efficient lasers, with a complex emission spectrum composed of many different colours emitting in many directions, that can be understood and tailored using network theory. They also have a unique sensitivity to the illumination profile, which we can use to control the lasing spectrum, and for example reach single colour emission. We now want to push this research into III-V semiconductor laser platform, where lasers are more robust and can be designed with specific topologies. We will employ machine learning and mathematical graph theory to tailor the lasing characteristics, and achieve deterministic spectral, temporal and directional control of the lasing emission. Our goal is to develop tuneable and multi-function lasers, which can be easily integrated into next-generation lab-on-chip devices, able to support the growth of future on-chip optical computation, information technology and diagnostic tools for healthcare. Being able to switch on and off their emission could enable data processing with >10 GHz speeds, and it could act as an optical transistor for analogue optical computing, as re-programmable processing units for neuromorphic computing, for data security, novel imaging and diagnostics technologies taking advantage of their very narrow spectral lines and high sensitivity.

Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.

Observing the dynamic behaviour and interactions of single biomolecules is a long-standing goal to facilitate bio-medical research. Standard practice is to use one of several scanning probe microscopes (SPMs), principally atomic force microscopy (AFM). The principle of an AFM is simple: a horizontally oriented cantilever with a very sharp tip is moved across the object of interest, allowing the capture of a three dimensional topographical image. However, the low forces and fast timescales of the fundamental inter-molecular events of interest in bio-medical sciences, generally lie far outside the operational range of commercial AFMs, which typically require several minutes per image. Thus, while AFMs can provide sub-molecular resolution of biomolecules under physiological conditions (cf. electron microscopy which uses a vacuum) there are two significant disadvantages of AFMs still to be overcome.- slow imaging rates: A typical 256x256 pixel image takes 60 seconds to produce.- excessive interaction forces during imaging: A significant challenge to imaging biomolecular interactions is that the forces typically present between the probe and the sample disturb or even damage the biomolecules.To counter these issues, we will combine the latest advances in control theory with the novel SPM instrumentation, currently in development in Bristol, to produce a new scanning probe microscope capable of imaging these fragile samples without damaging them: Thus, Bristol's transverse dynamic force microscope (TDFM) will represent a breakthrough in both SPM instrumentation and the study of biomolecules.In Bristol's TDFM, the probe is aligned perpendicularly to the sample surface (rather than parallel to it, as in AFMs) and oscillates in the plane of the sample. The amplitude of oscillation decreases as the tip-sample separation distance decreases. The amplitude of the probe oscillation can be used as a measurement signal to control the probe-sample separation with sub-nanometer precision. When using this control method, at no point during scanning should the probe come into contact with the sample surface.Novel control methods will create a high-speed TDFM (HS-TDFM) by-controlling the fast movement of the cantilever height (z-motion)-controlling the fast placement of any (biological) specimen to be observed (x-y-motion)-estimating sample-cantilever forces, e.g. Van-der Waals forces, to better understand the wealth of measured information for faster and simpler fusion & processing of data obtained from the HS-TDFM.Before any of this is possible, the TDFM will be redesigned to incorporate highly precise sensor technology and to obtain the best possible dynamic behaviour. The modern control approaches will include linear robust control approaches, nonlinear sliding mode control, nonlinear adaptive (neural network) control, modern estimation/observer techniques using sliding modes, and adaptive principles.The challenges will be to-achieve practical control at bandwidths above 1MHz;-understand & exploit the nonlinear HS-TDFM dynamics for better data interpretation;-develop novel estimators/observers combining the paradigms of adaptive and sliding mode methods, for signal and parameter identification;-incorporate novel estimation and control approaches for improving the control system of the HS-TDFM.The resulting HS-TDFM will be a true non-contact imaging technique capable of comparable spatial resolution and lower interaction forces than AFMs. The HS-TDFM will display pico-Newton force-sensitivity and provide a wealth of information from direct observation of the interacting biomolecules. It will collect multiple images per second as required for observing biological processes. This will not only benefit life-sciences but also support SPM users in material science, producers of nano-sized systems, and in nano-electronics, e.g. microprocessors.