Lecture / Seminar
ACADIA PHYSICS SEMINAR
Ultrafast Lasers Provide a Window into the Quantum Realm
Dr. Kimberley Hall
Professor of Physics
Director of the Ultrafast Quantum Control Group
Dalhousie University
The advent of special lasers that produce very short pulses of light (with a duration on the order of 10 quadrillionths of a second) has enabled ground-breaking advances in a wide range of science and technology areas. These short pulses can be used like a strobe light to study the motion of electrons inside atoms and solids. They can even be used to force electrons to behave the way we want. This research field is called “ultrafast science and technology”. Because of its broad impact on society, the laser technology behind it has led to the awarding of two Nobel Prizes in Physics in the past 5 years. The Ultrafast Quantum Control group at Dalhousie University is using these techniques to develop sources of single photons (the smallest quantum of energy in light) needed for cryptography in a post-quantum world, and to develop flexible materials that will enable new, more effective solar panels. In this presentation, I will explain how ultrafast laser light pulses are generated, how we measure them, and how we use them in our laser laboratory to develop quantum technologies.
Kimberley Hall is a Professor of Physics and the Director of the Ultrafast Quantum Control Group at Dalhousie University. Dr. Hall received a Ph. D. in physics from the University of Toronto in 2002 and carried out postdoctoral work at the University of Iowa prior to joining Dalhousie University in 2004. She held the Canada Research Chair in Ultrafast Science from 2007 to 2017. Her current research interests include the development of solid-state sources of quantum light, the implementation of optimal quantum control in semiconductor qubit systems, the study of spin transport in two-dimensional semiconducting quantum materials, and the advancement of perovskite-based photovoltaics.
ACADIA PHYSICS SEMINAR
Ultrafast Lasers Provide a Window into the Quantum Realm
Dr. Kimberley Hall
Professor of Physics
Director of the Ultrafast Quantum Control Group
Dalhousie University
The advent of special lasers that produce very short pulses of light (with a duration on the order of 10 quadrillionths of a second) has enabled ground-breaking advances in a wide range of science and technology areas. These short pulses can be used like a strobe light to study the motion of electrons inside atoms and solids. They can even be used to force electrons to behave the way we want. This research field is called “ultrafast science and technology”. Because of its broad impact on society, the laser technology behind it has led to the awarding of two Nobel Prizes in Physics in the past 5 years. The Ultrafast Quantum Control group at Dalhousie University is using these techniques to develop sources of single photons (the smallest quantum of energy in light) needed for cryptography in a post-quantum world, and to develop flexible materials that will enable new, more effective solar panels. In this presentation, I will explain how ultrafast laser light pulses are generated, how we measure them, and how we use them in our laser laboratory to develop quantum technologies.
Kimberley Hall is a Professor of Physics and the Director of the Ultrafast Quantum Control Group at Dalhousie University. Dr. Hall received a Ph. D. in physics from the University of Toronto in 2002 and carried out postdoctoral work at the University of Iowa prior to joining Dalhousie University in 2004. She held the Canada Research Chair in Ultrafast Science from 2007 to 2017. Her current research interests include the development of solid-state sources of quantum light, the implementation of optimal quantum control in semiconductor qubit systems, the study of spin transport in two-dimensional semiconducting quantum materials, and the advancement of perovskite-based photovoltaics.
Pricing & Tickets
Pricing: Free
Huggins Science Hall
 |