QOSSlab

Quantum Optics in the Solid State

An experimental research line of the SemicUAM group @ Universidad Autónoma de Madrid · IFIMAC · Instituto Nicolás Cabrera

Welcome to the QOSS lab — Quantum Optics in the Solid State. QOSS is the research line in experimental quantum photonics that Dr. Carlos Antón-Solanas started in 2022 within the SemicUAM group of the Department of Physics of Materials, UAM, with a young team of PhD, master’s and bachelor’s students.

We engineer non-classical light from solid-state quantum emitters — semiconductor quantum dots, defects in hexagonal boron nitride, excitons in 2D materials and exciton-polaritons — and use it for quantum communication, metrology and imaging.

We are always looking for motivated students and researchers: see join us.

Research topics

  • Quantum optics with single photons
    • Photon statistics, Hong-Ou-Mandel interference
    • Photon-number entanglement and superpositions
  • Quantum materials
    • hBN defects at room temperature
    • Moiré and interlayer excitons in TMD heterobilayers
  • Cavity QED & polaritons
    • Open Fabry-Pérot microcavities
    • Topological and spin-polarised polariton lattices
  • Quantum communication, imaging & metrology

single photons, in pixels

A quantum dot emits one photon per laser pulse. At the beamsplitter it goes one way or the other — never both — so D1 and D2 never click in the same pulse. That is the missing peak at zero delay: g⁽²⁾(0) ≈ 0, the Hanbury Brown–Twiss signature of a single-photon source.

two photons, one beamsplitter

Two photons of random colour enter a 50:50 beamsplitter from different sides. When they are identical (same colour), their paths interfere and they always leave together — D1 and D2 never click at the same time. When they are distinguishable (different colours), each one chooses independently: 25% both transmitted, 25% both reflected, 25% both to D1, 25% both to D2 — so half of the time you get a coincidence. That missing coincidence for identical photons is the Hong–Ou–Mandel effect, our everyday test of photon indistinguishability.

news all news →

Sep 2026Open call for PhD candidates: we support applications to the FPU and “la Caixa” INPhINIT fellowships — see join us.
Sep 2026Carlos gives the lecture “Advanced Quantum Communications” at the DPG Physics School on Applied Photonics in Bad Honnef — from photon detection to QKD with true single-photon sources. A fantastic week with a brilliant, curious audience!
Sep 2026Pablo Pérez Casares defends his master thesis on the dipole orientation of quantum emitters in hBN with a 9.2/10. Congratulations, Pablo!
Jul 2026Publication from Andrea's results: “Spin-polarized lasing in a photonic lattice”, Opt. Mater. Express.
Jun 2026Samuel and Izan win two of the INC Research Awards for Physics Students 2026. Congrats!
May 2026The first edition of the elective course “Quantum Information Technologies” is finished.

selected publications all publications →

  1. Adv. Funct. Mater.
    Spin Injection of Exciton–Polaritons with Halide Perovskites at Room Temperature
    E. Sendarrubias Arias-Camisón, M. Lednev, J. Cuadra, R. Gago, L. Viña, F. J. García Vidal, J. Feist, F. Prins, C. Antón-Solanas
    Adv. Funct. Mater. e32019 (2026)
    paper
  2. OMEx
    Spin-polarized lasing in a photonic lattice
    A. Herrero Otermin, N. Carlon Zambon, A. Bieganowska, F. Jabeen, L. Viña, C. Antón-Solanas
    Opt. Mater. Express 16, 2769 (2026)
    paper
  3. PRR
    Excitonic oscillator-strength saturation dominates polariton-polariton interactions
    M. Richard et al.
    Phys. Rev. Research 8, L012039 (2026)
    paper
  4. ACS Photon.
    Temporal Coherence of Single Photons Emitted by Hexagonal Boron Nitride Defects at Room Temperature
    J. V. Martínez-Pons, S. K. Kim, M. Behrens, A. Izquierdo-Molina, A. Menéndez Rúa, S. Paçal, S. Ateş, L. Viña, C. Antón-Solanas
    ACS Photonics 13, 282 (2026)
    paper

current projects research →

POEM project illustration

POEM

Photon cOrrelation from interlayer Excitons in Moiré heterobilayers

Consolidación Investigadora · MICIU
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ECO-Q project illustration

ECO-Q

Emitters and Controllers of Quantum Light

Generación de Conocimiento · MICIU
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COMPHORT project illustration

COMPHORT

Quantum Communications with bright solid-state single-Photon emitters at Room Temperature

QuantERA 2023 · Applied Quantum Science
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