Demid Sychev, Postdoctoral Researcher, Elmore Family School of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Demid Sychev, a postdoctoral researcher with Purdue University’s Elmore Family School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, has been selected for a Quantum Postdoctoral Research Award (QPRA) from the Quantum Science Center (QSC).

All postdoctoral researchers affiliated with the QSC, a U.S. Department of Energy National Quantum Information Science Research Center headquartered at DOE’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, are eligible for the QPRA program, which provides additional funding to support new research activities. Candidates propose projects that will expand the center’s research portfolio and allow them to hone their scientific capabilities and leadership skills. 

Sychev studies quantum optics, which is a field that examines interactions between photons — particles of light — and other substances in their surroundings. In his research project for QPRA, he is working with a solid-state single photon emitter, aiming to improve methods of extracting photons from the emitter. Sychev says even though the single-photon emitter is quite robust and capable of revealing quantum properties at room temperature, it’s difficult to maintain a stream of high-quality photons. Although it’s possible to solve this problem by conducting experiments at low temperatures, Sychev is working on achieving the desired results by instead using a physical process called “stimulated single-photon emission.” He is also interested in testing a process called “nonlinear optical conversion,” which involves mixing a photon with another beam in a crystal to manipulate the photon’s properties and optimize it for QIS applications.

Source: Early career Q&A: Meet the Quantum Science Center’s Postdoctoral Research Award winners