This project aims to develop two novel quantum sensors to enhance sensitivity. Namely, a photon-antibunching-based sensor and a photon-entanglement-based sensor. The photon antibunching signals of quantum dots and complex emitters are to be used for environmental sensing and for detecting different target molecules.
This project aims to develop two complementary technologies. Firstly, a quantum plasmonic biosensor that combines engineered nanostructures with single-photon interrogation to achieve high sensitivity in refractive index and binding affinity measurements. Current biomarkers include pLDH, relevant for malaria detection. Secondly, a nitrogen-vacancy single-photon source engineered to generate stable, low-noise single photons suitable for probing fragile biological systems.
This project aims to advance quantum computing by combining single electron pumps with InGaAs-based heterostructure material, known for their strong spin-orbit coupling, to develop a novel qubit platform. The resulting qubits are expected to be more stable, tuneable, and compatible with existing semiconductor technologies, enhancing prospects for large-scale integration and manufacturability.
This project aims to develop plasmon-based quantum biosensors for the early diagnosis of economically important plant diseases in South Africa. The sensors will exploit surface plasmon resonance (SPR) to detect refractive-index shifts caused by protein biomarkers binding to specific antibodies. The diagnostic protocol should be faster, cheaper, and more sensitive than standard diagnostic protocols for protein biomarkers such as ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) and tailored for key plant pathogens that currently lack high-quality SPR sensors.
This project aims to develop a quantum-enabled fluorescence lifetime microscope. The illumination from a pulsed laser will be replaced with entangled photon pairs to exploit their correlations to produce fluorescence lifetime images. Utilising quantum light, in the form of pairs of entangled photons, can provide the same temporal information as provided in conventional fluorescence microscopy, with low photon flux and use substantially cheaper continuous-wave lasers.
This project aims to develop a quantum microscope that can image deeply and recognise objects e.g., viruses and cancerous cells. Current work is focussed on imaging real-world biological samples using dual wavelength quantum entangled light and recognised objects; holographic imaging with high fidelity; imaging with synthetic wavelengths to show profiling of deep structures and sensing with topological light.