Fysikum at Stockholm University is set to host a quantum dot that has been on a journey throughout Europe. The ‘QuanTour’ project is an initiative to showcase a quantum light source as it travels throughout 12 institutes within Europe all as part of the UNESCO’s international year of quantum science and technology, 2025, chosen to recognize the 100 years since the initial development of quantum mechanics.
Whilst here in Sweden, the source will be hosted in the lab of Ana Predojević where they will verify the quantum nature of the light emitted from the Quantum dot. These semiconductor quantum dots are tiny structures, typically only a couple nanometers wide, that are engineered to have optical and electronic properties that allow for the production of single photons. This quantum dot is then embedded within a microscopic heterostructure shaped like a dartboard (4-𝜇m wide) in order to optimize the emission direction and efficiency in the direction perpendicular to the quantum dot.
Quantum Dot. L.Rickert / Technical University of Berlin
QuanTour also aims to give a sneak peak into the life of researchers working in the field of quantum physics. Follow along with the QuanTour journey on Instagram as it approaches its final few stops, or check out the work that the other institutes have already published. For a deeper dive into the field, whether past work or future prospects, all of the previous hosts have delved deeper in the ‘Under the microscope’ podcast presented by The Science Talk. QuanTour is a product funded by the German Physical Society (DPG), organized by Dr Doris Reiter (TU Dortmund), and Dr Tobias Hiendel (TU Berlin)
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