All Optical Processes for Free-Space Quantum Communications
About this event:
Quantum communication offers new ways to protect and transmit information; however, sending quantum states through free space presents a challenge: atmospheric turbulence can distort the shape of light as it travels, making it difficult to reliably recover the information encoded in the light.
In this talk, the speaker will present an approach that uses nonlinear optics to automatically correct these distortions. The key idea is to use a process called stimulated parametric down-conversion to create a phase-conjugated copy of the distorted light. In this way, the optical system can compensate for the effects of turbulence without requiring a conventional adaptive-optics system or prior knowledge of the atmospheric conditions.
The speaker will discuss how this approach can be used to improve the transmission of information encoded in different spatial patterns of light, and present theoretical, numerical, and experimental results demonstrating its ability to mitigate turbulence. This work explores a new route toward more robust free-space quantum communication and could help make high-dimensional quantum communication more practical in real-world atmospheric environments
Aaron Cardoso
Aaron Cardoso is a physicist and PhD student in Physics at the University of Ottawa, where he works in Robert Boyd’s group on nonlinear and quantum optics. He received his Bachelor's degree in Physics from the Metropolitan Autonomous University in Mexico City and his Master's degree in Physics from the Center for Research in Optics in Guanajuato, Mexico.
His research focuses on structured light and quantum optics, with particular interests in orbital angular momentum, high-dimensional quantum communication, quantum key distribution, and nonlinear optical processes such as spontaneous and stimulated parametric down-conversion. His current work explores nonlinear optical methods for manipulating and protecting structured quantum states of light, with the goal of developing more robust and scalable free-space quantum communication technologies.
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- 2451 Riverside Drive
- Ottawa, Ontario
- Canada K1H 7X7
- Building: RA Centre
- Room Number: Courtside Room A by East Wing Entrance
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- Co-sponsored by IET
- Starts 26 September 2026 04:00 AM UTC
- Ends 21 October 2026 04:00 AM UTC
- No Admission Charge
Speakers
Aaron of University of Ottawa
All Optical Processes for Free-Space Quantum Communications
About this event:
Quantum communication offers new ways to protect and transmit information; however, sending quantum states through free space presents a challenge: atmospheric turbulence can distort the shape of light as it travels, making it difficult to reliably recover the information encoded in the light.
In this talk, the speaker will present an approach that uses nonlinear optics to automatically correct these distortions. The key idea is to use a process called stimulated parametric down-conversion to create a phase-conjugated copy of the distorted light. In this way, the optical system can compensate for the effects of turbulence without requiring a conventional adaptive-optics system or prior knowledge of the atmospheric conditions.
The speaker will discuss how this approach can be used to improve the transmission of information encoded in different spatial patterns of light, and present theoretical, numerical, and experimental results demonstrating its ability to mitigate turbulence. This work explores a new route toward more robust free-space quantum communication and could help make high-dimensional quantum communication more practical in real-world atmospheric environments
Biography:
Aaron Cardoso is a physicist and PhD student in Physics at the University of Ottawa, where he works in Robert Boyd’s group on nonlinear and quantum optics. He received his Bachelor's degree in Physics from the Metropolitan Autonomous University in Mexico City and his Master's degree in Physics from the Center for Research in Optics in Guanajuato, Mexico.
His research focuses on structured light and quantum optics, with particular interests in orbital angular momentum, high-dimensional quantum communication, quantum key distribution, and nonlinear optical processes such as spontaneous and stimulated parametric down-conversion. His current work explores nonlinear optical methods for manipulating and protecting structured quantum states of light, with the goal of developing more robust and scalable free-space quantum communication technologies.