About the project
Increasingly sophisticated control of quantum systems using classical fields is a crucial tool in emerging scientific and technological applications. At heart, however, control fields are quantum. In this project, you will study how the quantum nature of the field changes the dynamics of the quantum system being controlled.
Controlling and manipulating quantum systems using electromagnetic fields underpins many cutting-edge quantum technologies. Typically, these fields are assumed to be classical. Recent work in the Quantum Optics Theory group at Southampton has proposed a new mathematical description of the quantum-to-semiclassical transition in the interaction of light with matter, challenging the assumption that fields containing many photons can always be treated classically.
In this project, you will build on this mathematical framework to develop practical mathematical and/or computational techniques for analysing the effects of field quantisation on quantum control in the cutting-edge ultra strong coupling regime. This work will have applications in the emerging field of Floquet engineering, which uses periodic driving to steer and modify processes in a wide range of systems – materials, quantum gases, even chemical reactions.
You will have flexibility to determine your own directions, following your particular interests. There will be opportunities to pursue collaborations with other research groups, both within the University of Southampton and around the world. The Quantum Optics Theory group and the School of Physics and Astronomy combine research excellence with a supportive environment where students can thrive.