Research
My research career has focussed on how quantum phenomena can provide genuine gain in fundamental and applied physics, with a track record of building quantum-enabled devices.
Atom Interferometry & Quantum Sensing
I am a member of Liverpool's Atom Interferometry group which is hosted within the Particle Physics cluster. We seek to use the sensing capabilities afforded by atom interferometry to search for new physics and to explore untested regimes. We are members of the MAGIS-100 collaboration hosted at Fermilab, USA, which will use a 100-m baseline to generate macroscopic superpositions of unprecedented scale. The resulting sensor will be sensitive to ultralight dark matter, will perform fundamental tests of quantum mechanics, and will ultimately detect mid-band gravitational waves. I am involved in all Liverpool's activities, including developing the retro-reflection system for rotation compensation and phase-shear readout, analyses of systematic noise sources, and elucidation of new interferometry schemes. We are also members of the UK's sister experiment AION, for which we perform a complementary role.
I co-lead Liverpool's atom interferometry laboratory, based on a rubidium fountain, which I repurposed from an frequency standard (atomic clock) at NPL as part of my PhD research. We use this facility as a testbed for rapidly testing and innovating the new techniques and hardware for MAGIS, AION and the wider community, as well as for prototyping novel atom interferometry schemes for fundamental physics.
Quantum sensing has wider applicability to fundamental physics and I'm currently exploring how other quantum sensors can be deployed for this purpose. I've helped to initiate a potential new experiment using superconducting circuits to perform precision tests of quantum electrodynamics and to search for axionic dark matter.
Deep Ultraviolet Lasers
Lasers are an enabling technology for scientific discovery, industrial capability and medical applications. The development of lasers at new wavelengths generates new possibilities such as allowing the cooling and coherent control of new atomic, molecular and ionic species.
The deep-ultraviolet regime (< 240 nm) has remained a challenge, especially for continuous-wave operation with devices plagued by low power, poor mode quality, and rapid degradation. At the University of Florence, I was a key member of the team who developed a complete UV laser system for performing clock atom interferometry with cadmium atoms, which offers in-principle increased inherent sensitivity and reduced susceptibility to blackbody radiation. As part of the UVQuanT industry-academic consortium, I have been involved in the drive to further this technology towards robust and reliable operation required for commercialisation.
As this technology matures, I continue to pursue new possibilities in even more extreme environments below 150 nm, where lasers may find applications in nuclear clocks and laser cooling and spectroscopy of exotic atoms such as anti-hydrogen, positronium and muonium.
Optical Calibration Systems for Neutrino Detectors
I currently lead on the design and construction of the optical light source for the optical calibration of the BUTTON experiment, having previously performed a similar role for the WATCHMAN collaboration. Based in the Boulby Underground Laboratory, BUTTON will act as a testbed for new neutrino detection techniques, such as a simultaneous Cerenkov and water-based liquid scintillator detection method.