Convergent Seminar in Photonics & Computing: Mohamed ElKabbash

Title: Enabling Quantum Technologies Through Nanophotonics

Abstract: The discovery and development of quantum mechanics created the technologies that define our modern world in what is now called the First Quantum Wave. We are in the midst of the Second Quantum Wave where we engineer and control complex quantum systems and exploit the unique properties of quantum mechanics (superposition, Entanglement, Interference) to develop new technologies with applications in drug discovery, secure communications, sensing, metrology, man-made states of matter, and quantum computers. In this talk, I will discuss our efforts towards scalable control over quantum systems using nanophotonics. All purpose quantum computing requires scalable control over millions of physical qubits. To avoid decoherence, this control must be performed at high speeds (1 MHz-1 GHz). Spatial Light Modulators (SLMs) are devices that provide spatiotemporal control over light. They have the potential to control millions of qubits, e.g., atoms, ions or color centers, simultaneously for quantum computing and simulations. However, the framerate of state-of-the-art SLMs is < 1 KHz. I will present our efforts to realize a nanophotonic-based GHz speed and Megapixel SLM. Such devices will also find applications in holographic videos, imaging through scattering media, photonic accelerators and optical neural networks.

Bio: Mohamed ElKabbash is a research scientist in the Quantum Photonics group at MIT. He did his PhD in Condensed Matter Physics at Case Western Reserve University (2013-2017) where he was a Case Comprehensive Cancer Center fellow, then spent two years as a postdoctoral researcher in the Institute of Optics, University of Rochester (2018-2020) before joining MIT. Mohamed's research interests span a range of topics including Quantum optics, Optoelectronics, Nanophotonics, Clean Energy, and table-top experimental tests of fundamental physics.