Research

What is so special about quantum physics ?

Quantum physics is different from classical physics, because we can not describe the reality of a quantum system without somehow referring to the specific circumstances of quantum state preparation and measurement. Practically, this means that there are limits to our control over quantum system, expressed by statistical uncertainties. However, there are also effects that seem to exceed the precision of classical systems, as expressed by non-classical correlations and the limitation to a discrete set of outcomes that is originally known as quantization.

Although quantum mechanics has a very long history, its established formalism leaves many questions unanswered. In particular, there is really no consensus on what is meant by a "quantum state" - it is simply introduced as an element of the mathematics, with formal rules that relate it to the physical properties of a system. However, the processes by which the states are prepared and measured are rarely investigated in detail, as if they were somehow separate from the usual dynamics of physical systems.

In our research, we try to achieve a better understanding of the physics involved in the preparation, evolution, and measurement of quantum systems. We can do this by investigating the wide range of phenomena that can be realized and observed in the laboratory. Specifically, optical quantum technologies allow us to investigate non-classical correlations in optical systems in detail, revealing new relations between the dynamical evolution of quantum systems and their supposedly static properties.

	Overview of our research
Optical quantum networks	Non-classical correlations	Explanation of quantum phenomena