Professor Stefanie Kroker receives ERC Consolidator grant Almost two million euros for laser technology research at TU Braunschweig
Professor Stefanie Kroker has received a Consolidator Grant of almost two million euros from the European Research Council (ERC). Kroker and her research group at TU Braunschweig are investigating optical resonators, the components that make laser systems the most precise instruments available. This key technology thus also enables regional collaborative projects such as the Cluster of Excellence QuantumFrontiers or the Quantum Valley Lower Saxony (QVLS) to achieve the highest precision. The prestigious award further strengthens the research focus on metrology at TU Braunschweig.
It takes finesse and stability for a laser to meet the high demands of quantum technologies. In laser design, the finesse of the device, combined with the stability of the mirrors, determines how precisely the beam delivers the desired wavelength. This finesse depends essentially on how well the mirrors in the centre of the laser, the optical resonator, reflect the light particles being sought. At the same time, these same mirrors must remain as stable as possible to minimise disturbing noise.
Professor Stefanie Kroker and her team want to push the limits of what is possible with so-called metamirrors. These mirrors not only provide the necessary reflectivity in the smallest of spaces, but also integrate sensors, modulators and other optics into the mirror substrates. This idea, called “MightyMirrors”, has now convinced the European Research Council (ERC), which is supporting Kroker with a Consolidator Grant of almost two million euros over five years.
Miniaturising quantum technologies
How much the powerful mirrors can advance research and technology becomes evident by taking a look at the region: complex systems such as the optical clocks of the Cluster of Excellence QuantumFrontiers or the quantum computer of Quantum Valley Lower Saxony require highly stable lasers with a wide range of wavelengths, potentially millions of them. Until now, however, each wavelength not only required its own optical resonator, but also a lot of space on optical tables in special laboratories with few sources of interference. This is where the mirrors from the Institute of Semiconductor Technology at TU Braunschweig make a decisive difference.
“With the ‘MightyMirrors’ project, we are tackling the integration of macroscopic, sensitive laboratory equipment on stable microchips. Moreover, we want to use an entire grid of parallel meta-mirrors to generate several laser wavelengths in a single resonator,” says Professor Kroker. “Working together with our project partners in the Braunschweig-Hannover region, we will be able to see the many strengths of our meta-mirrors in action and continuously develop them further.”
