Research Assistant — Quantum Quasars Lab
September 2025 – Present
​
At the Quantum Quasars Lab, I worked on improving the performance of a quantum-entangled photon source designed for quantum position verification (QPV) experiments—a protocol that leverages quantum correlations to verify spatial location in a way that is fundamentally secure against classical spoofing.
The core of the system was a Sagnac interferometer–based entanglement source, chosen for its intrinsic phase stability and suitability for generating polarization-entangled photon pairs. While the theoretical design of such sources is well-established, their practical performance is often limited by subtle optical misalignments, phase drift, and imperfect waveplate calibration. My project focused on bridging this gap between theory and experiment.
I led the effort to increase the source efficiency by approximately 35%, working within a three-person experimental team. This involved careful alignment of laser sources, iterative optimization of the interferometer geometry, and systematic tuning of waveplates to control polarization states with high precision. To ensure repeatability and reduce human error, I implemented Python-based control routines that automated waveplate adjustments and synchronized them with data acquisition.
Beyond alignment, I helped develop experimental procedures for phase tuning, allowing us to actively monitor and correct phase offsets that directly affect entanglement visibility. By refining how coincidence counts were recorded and analyzed, we were able to extract cleaner correlations and improve the signal-to-noise ratio critical for QPV protocols.
​
Implications for Quantum Communication
This work has direct implications for secure quantum communication, particularly protocols that rely on multi-party entanglement and precise timing correlations. In QPV and related quantum key distribution (QKD) schemes, source efficiency is not just a technical convenience—it determines achievable communication rates, error tolerance, and robustness against loss.
By increasing entanglement generation efficiency and stability, this project contributes to making real-world quantum networks more scalable and reliable. Higher-quality entangled sources reduce the overhead required for error correction and make advanced cryptographic protocols more feasible outside of idealized laboratory conditions.
Significance in Quantum Optics
From a quantum optics perspective, this project deepened my understanding of how optical components, phase control, and quantum state preparation intersect in practice. It reinforced a key lesson of experimental quantum optics: that the behavior of quantum systems is inseparable from the precision of the classical optical infrastructure supporting them.
Working with a Sagnac interferometer highlighted the elegance of symmetry-based designs in maintaining coherence, while also exposing the sensitivity of entangled states to minute experimental imperfections. This experience shaped how I now think about quantum systems—not just as abstract states, but as fragile constructs sustained by careful engineering.