First projects in £4.7m Scottish photonics, quantum accelerator

The first projects have been announced for a Photonics and Quantum Accelerator (PQA) in Scotland.

The PQA brings together researchers from the Universities of Glasgow, Strathclyde, Heriot-Watt and St Andrews with local companies.

In the first round, six projects will share in £237,000 in new impact acceleration funding from the PQA. A further £3.2m is available for future funding rounds, with the second call for applications open until 17th December 2024.

At Heriot-Watt University, Dr Natalia Herrera Valencia will develop an easy-to-use quantum photonic system that will create cost-effective entanglement links over a telecoms network. This will enable ultra-secure encryption and interconnected quantum computers. BT is trialling the system in a data centre environment.

The University of Strathclyde’s Martin Lee, Paulo Moriya, and Alan Kemp are partnering with Caledonian Photonics to develop a compact diode-pumped Titanium-Sapphire laser with a narrow spectral linewidth for quantum technology, particularly for sensing and timing applications.

A second project at Heriot-Watt, led by Dr Ross Donaldson, will develop a 2D waveguide to prevent atmospheric turbulence from disrupting optical and quantum communications between satellites and the ground.

A third project at Heriot-Watt University, led by Professor Brian Gerardot, will build a prototype autonomous semiconductor device assembly system using photonic technologies. The machine rapidly and reproducibly builds novel materials and devices with photonic, quantum, semiconductor, magnetic, or ferroelectric properties.

• Sivers, Vector team on laser materials
• Vector Photonics raises funds for PCSEL R&D

At the University of Glasgow, Professor Andy Harvey will work with Dunfermline-based Optos to transfer a new retinal-monitoring technique for use within their scanning ophthalmoscopes, while at the University of St Andrews, Dr Graham Bruce is working with Erica Kotze and Dr Pilar Gil from Libraries and Museums to develop a cost-effective hand-held scanner to detect poisonous arsenic used in the production of book covers in the 19th century.

“These are all wonderful opportunities to create lasting impact in Scotland. The PQA will boost growth in the photonics and quantum sector in Scotland to over £4bn by 2030 through supporting faster transfer of research to industry and increasing the numbers of skilled people in Scotland who can enable our existing companies to grow and new ones to form and thrive,” said Professor Andy Harvey, of the University of Glasgow’s School of Physics & Astronomy, is the PQA’s principal investigator.

“These projects are fantastic examples of the variety of opportunities for photonics to underpin emerging industries such as quantum communications and computing, while also doing a public service by helping our literary heritage to be safely stored and accessed.”

The Photonics & Quantum Accelerator is a £4.7m Place Based Impact Acceleration Account funded by UKRI via the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).