Consortium
Friedrich Schiller University Jena (FSU)
The Institute of Applied Physics of the Friedrich Schiller University Jena (FSU) is known for its developments of novel optical materials and elements – from basic to application orientated research. It offers remarkable contributions to solving issues in emerging fields like information and communication, health and medicine, environment and energy as well as process technology and optical measurement methods. For this purpose, current research topics concern function, design and production of various micro- and nano-optical elements, light propagation and nonlinear light-matter interaction in micro- and nanostructures, optical meta materials and photonic crystals. Further research fields are application spanning the dynamic range from high-power femtosecond laser pulses for material processing and ultrafast fiber lasers to the level of single- and entangled photons for applications in imaging, sensing and information processing.
The research group “Photonic Quantum Information” focuses on methods for generating and manipulating quantum states of light and their application in remote sensing, long-distance communication, and multi-partite quantum networks.
team members
Thomas Pertsch
Thomas Pertsch is Professor for Applied Physics and director of the Abbe Center of Photonics at the Friedrich Schiller University in Jena, Germany, where he heads the Nano and Quantum Optics group at the Institute of Applied Physics. He studied electrical engineering at the Technical University Dresden, Germany and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, USA. Afterwards he worked as a researcher at the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering Jena. In 2003 he received his PhD from the Friedrich Schiller University Jena. His research focusses on the generation and interaction of light in nanostructured matter, including optical metamaterials and photonic crystals as well as ultrafast dynamics and quantum photonics. The results of his work are published in more than 250 peer-reviewed scientific articles (citations >8.500, h of 47) and 350 conference presentations. He is a first-time participant to the FET program.
Fabian Steinlechner
Fabian Steinlechner received his PhD in 2015 from ICFO - The Institute of Photonic Sciences where his doctoral research focused on the development of quantum light sources for applications in Space. As a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Institute for Quantum Optics and Quantum Information in Vienna, he contributed to the application of entangled photons in loophole-free tests of non-locality, quantum sensing, high-dimensional quantum information processing, and long-distance quantum communication in free-space and fiber links. In August 2018 he was appointed junior group leader within the Attract-Programme of the Fraunhofer Society. He currently leads the "Photonic Quantum Communication” group at Fraunhofer IOF and the “Photonic Quantum Information” group within the “Leistungszentrum Photonik” and the Abbe Center of Photonics at the Friedrich Schiller University Jena. Since 2020 FS is acting group leader of the “Active and Adaptive Optics” group at Fraunhofer IOF, working primarily on adaptive optical systems for satellite-based ranging and quantum key distribution systems in space.
Frank Setzpfandt
Frank Setzpfandt received his diploma in physics and Dr. rer. nat. (PhD) from the Friedrich-Schiller-Universität (FSU) Jena in 2006 and 2012, respectively. He did Post Docs with the FSU Jena and the Australian National University in Canberra before setting up an independent research group within the Nano Optics group at the Institute of Applied Physics in 2016. His research interests comprise from nonlinear optics, integrated optics, nanophotonics and quantum optics. He currently is the PI of several research projects funded by the German Ministry of Education and Research, the German Academic Exchange Service and the German Research Foundation. Dr. Setzpfandt has authored 40 publications in peer-reviewed journals, 13 invited talks and more than 70 contributions to international conferences. He is a first-time participant to the FET program.
Gregor Sauer
Gregor Sauer is a researcher in the Quantum Technologies Group at Fraunhofer IOF and PhD Candidate at the Abbe School of Photonics, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena. His research focusses on cavity-enhanced quantum light sources for sensing and communication.
