Brian D. Gerardot
Institute of Photonics and Quantum Sciences, SUPA, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh UK

The latest (WSe₂ defects) and greatest (InGaAs quantum dots) in solid-state quantum emitters.

Motivated by potential technologies that exploit quantum mechanical superposition and entanglement, I will present our recent progress in the application of quantum optical techniques to coherently probe and manipulate solid-state quantum emitters. I will first discuss resonance fluorescence from single self-assembled InGaAs quantum dots, focusing particularly on the generation of ultra-coherent, indistinguishable photons in spite of the presence of environmental noise induced by nearby fluctuating nuclear spins or electronic charges.  I will then present recent work on a “new” quantum emitter: a localised exciton in a WSe₂ monolayer. Such a two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenide semiconductor is an intriguing host for a quantum emitter due its unique optical, electronic, and structural properties. I will show how such emitters can be both spatially and spectrally localised via strain gradients and probe their magneto- and quantum-optical properties.  These results raise the prospect to deterministically strain-engineer arrays of quantum emitters in two-dimensional semiconductors.

Prof. Brian Gerardot leads the Quantum Photonics Laboratory at Heriot-Watt University. He obtained a BSc in Materials Science from Purdue University and a PhD from UC Santa Barbara. Following this, he moved to Heriot-Watt as a post-doctoral researcher. Subsequently, he has held Fellowships from the Royal Society of Edinburgh (2006-2009) and the Royal Society (2009 – 2017). He became a Lecturer in 2009, a Reader in 2011, and Professor in 2013.