Projects

Introducing the POEM Project:

Photon Correlation from Interlayer Excitons in Moiré Heterobilayers

We are excited to launch POEM (Photon cOrrelation from interlayer Excitons in Moiré heterobilayers), a new research project funded through the Spanish programme Incentivación de la Consolidación Investigadora. POEM explores a new frontier in quantum photonics based on engineered quantum states of light generated from atomically thin materials.  

The project focuses on moiré excitons confined in WSe₂/MoSe₂ heterobilayers, a class of quantum materials where the interaction between two stacked two-dimensional semiconductors creates an artificial lattice capable of trapping individual excitons. These moiré-trapped excitons behave as highly tunable quantum emitters, combining the advantages of solid-state scalability with the rich valley and spin physics unique to transition-metal dichalcogenides.  

POEM aims to demonstrate the generation of polarisation-path correlated single photons, a novel form of quantum light where the polarisation state of a photon is intrinsically linked to its propagation direction. To achieve this, we will combine electrical control of carrier doping with an innovative dichromatic excitation scheme, using two synchronized laser fields to selectively manipulate the valley degree of freedom of interlayer excitons on ultrafast timescales.  

Beyond the fundamental study of excitonic quantum states, POEM seeks to establish new concepts for on-demand quantum light generation, ultrafast single-photon switching, and scalable quantum photonic architectures. By exploiting the chiral optical properties of moiré excitons, the project opens exciting opportunities in quantum communications, quantum sensing, and quantum information processing.  

The project brings together expertise in quantum optics, two-dimensional materials, and semiconductor nanotechnology, while strengthening collaborations with leading researchers in the fields of moiré excitons and quantum photonics. Through POEM, we aim to push the boundaries of how complex quantum states of light can be engineered directly within atomically thin materials, paving the way towards the next generation of quantum photonic devices.  

Project title: Photon cOrrelation from interlayer Excitons in Moiré heterobilayers (POEM)
Principal Investigator: Carlos Antón-Solanas
Host Institution: Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM) – IFIMAC / SemicUAM
Funding Programme: Incentivación de la Consolidación Investigadora (Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, Spain)

Introducing the ECO-Q Project:

Harnessing Spin-Momentum Locking in Quantum Fluids of Light

One of the central goals of the ECO-Q (Emitters and Controllers of Quantum Light) project is the development of novel mechanisms to generate, manipulate, and route information encoded in light. While the original project envisioned the control of polariton vortices and orbital angular momentum in semiconductor photonic circuits, our recent work has revealed a complementary and equally powerful degree of freedom: the spin of light itself.  

In this project, we investigate exciton-polaritons, hybrid light-matter quasiparticles that emerge when photons strongly couple to electronic excitations in semiconductor microcavities. Owing to their photonic nature, polaritons can propagate across engineered lattices, while their matter component provides strong interactions and optical nonlinearities. These unique properties make them an ideal platform for developing future photonic technologies that process and transport information at ultrafast speeds.  

Our latest results demonstrate spin-momentum locking in the edge states of honeycomb polariton lattices. In these structures, the propagation direction of light becomes intrinsically linked to its circular polarization: photons travelling in opposite directions carry opposite spin states. This phenomenon emerges naturally from the interplay between photonic spin-orbit coupling and the evanescent nature of edge-confined modes, without requiring external magnetic fields.  

By exploiting optical spin injection, we further demonstrate the selective amplification and lasing of counter-propagating edge modes. In practice, this means that the flow of light along the lattice boundary can be controlled simply by changing the polarization of the optical excitation. Such spin-controlled transport represents a new paradigm for routing information in photonic circuits, where the spin state acts as an addressable degree of freedom for directing light propagation.  

These results expand the original vision of ECO-Q from the manipulation of vortex states towards the broader challenge of engineering topological and spin-dependent transport in quantum fluids of light. The ability to control the direction of propagation through polarization alone opens exciting opportunities for chiral photonic devices, spin-selective optical interconnects, low-power optical logic, and future quantum photonic circuits operating without magnetic fields.  

Ultimately, this research contributes to the development of semiconductor platforms where information can be encoded, manipulated, and transported using both the momentum and the spin of light, bringing us closer to scalable architectures for photonic information processing.

Project title: Emitters and Controllers of Quantum Light (ECO-Q)
Principal Investigators: Carlos Antón-Solanas and Luis Viña
Host Institution: Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM) – IFIMAC / Instituto Nicolás Cabrera
Funding Programme: Proyecto de Generación de Conocimiento (Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, Spain) 

Introducing the COMPHORT Project:

Quantum Communications with Bright Solid-State Single-Photon Emitters at Room Temperature

We are proud to coordinate COMPHORT (Quantum Communications with bright solid-state single-Photon emitters at Room Temperature), a European research project funded through the QuantERA 2023 Applied Quantum Scienceprogramme. Bringing together leading academic and industrial partners from Spain, Germany, Türkiye, and the United Kingdom, COMPHORT aims to accelerate the transition of quantum photonic technologies from the laboratory to real-world applications.

Single-photon sources are essential components of quantum technologies, enabling secure communications, advanced sensing, and future quantum networks. Despite remarkable progress in recent years, the highest-performance quantum light sources still rely on cryogenic temperatures and complex laser systems, limiting their widespread adoption. COMPHORT addresses this challenge by developing a new generation of room-temperature, solid-state single-photon sources that combine high performance, simplicity, and scalability.

The project exploits the unique properties of quantum emitters in hexagonal boron nitride (hBN), a two-dimensional material capable of generating single photons under ambient conditions. By integrating these emitters into highly efficient and spectrally tunable open microcavities, COMPHORT seeks to dramatically enhance the brightness and collection efficiency of the emitted photons. In parallel, the consortium is developing electrically driven excitation schemes based on integrated LEDs, paving the way towards compact, user-friendly, “plug-and-play” quantum light sources.

A central objective of COMPHORT is the demonstration of free-space quantum communication using these room-temperature single-photon sources. The project will implement quantum key distribution protocols in both laboratory environments and metropolitan-scale free-space optical links, showcasing secure communications in scenarios where optical fibre infrastructure is unavailable or impractical. Such applications include emergency-response networks, autonomous vehicles, drones, and future satellite-based quantum communication systems.

By combining expertise in quantum materials, nanophotonics, semiconductor engineering, and quantum communications, COMPHORT aims to establish a new generation of practical quantum light sources that can be readily adopted by industry. Beyond communications, the technologies developed within the project have potential applications in quantum sensing, metrology, imaging, and quantum certification.

Ultimately, COMPHORT seeks to make quantum photonics more accessible, reliable, and deployable, strengthening Europe’s position in the rapidly growing quantum technology landscape and contributing to the development of sovereign quantum communication technologies for the future.

Project title: Quantum Communications with bright solid-state single-Photon emitters at Room Temperature (COMPHORT)
Programme: QuantERA 2023 – Applied Quantum Science
Project Coordinator: Carlos Antón-Solanas
Coordinating Institution: Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM) – IFIMAC / SemicUAM
Consortium Partners: University of Oldenburg, Technische Universität Berlin, İzmir Institute of Technology, University of Bristol, nanoplus GmbH, and QLocked