Dept. of Physics - New Optical Laboratory

Key Contact - Technical Details If you have any questions that are technical in nature and or require additional information, kindly contact Professor Peter Grutter, Chair, Physics at the following number/email :

Tel 514 398 6483 [email protected]

Key Contact - Philanthropic Details If you have any questions or require additional information related to making a gift for this initiative, kinldy contact Rob Davis at the following number/email: Tel 514 398 3128 [email protected]

There are two methods you may choose from to make your gift – we will be pleased to issue and send a tax receipt for your charitable giving:

To make a gift via the on-line donation site, please access this link: https://www.alumni.mcgill.ca/give/index.php?allocations=07062&new=1

To make a contribution by cheque: • make the cheque payable to ‘McGill University’ • indicate on the cheque memo line: Physics Optical Lab, 07062 • please mail to: Robert Davis Director of Development McGill University - Faculty of Science Frank Dawson Adams Bldg. - Room 23 3450 University Street Montréal, Québec Canada H3A 0E8

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Exciting experimental physics with updated optics undergrad labs.

1. Using a single photon source and single photon detectors students could measure the Bell inequality in the Modern Physics lab. They would thus experimentally access the important quantum mechanical concept of entanglement (Einstein’s ‘spooky action at a distance’). Entanglement is THE fundamental quantum property enabling quantum sensing, quantum cryptology and quantum computing. 2. Creating an Optical Cavity Lab would enable students to perform a set of optomechanical experiments by combining nanofabricated structures with high finesse optics – cooling a small mirror with light by studying the back-action of photons on mechanical structures exposes students to advanced concepts and experimental methods at the forefront of quantum cavity physics, ultimately creating a macroscopic version of a Schroedinger cat. The same concepts are also core to enhanced sensitivity in gravitational wave antennas. 3. A THz light source in the Modern Physics undergraduate lab would allow students to study and gain a deeper understanding of many important properties of solid state systems such as charge mobility in photovoltaic systems, or build and characterize photonic band gap materials (also known as Yablonovite - materials invented by one of our brilliant undergraduate honors physics students, Professsor Eli Yablonovitch, class of ‘67). 4. We have investigated what experiments one could do in our new undergraduate Astrophysics courses. Preliminary data shows that one of the exiting experiments students could execute (even in downtown Montreal!) would be to observe exoplanets (i.e. planets outside our solar system) from our newly renovated observatory roof top terrace by measuring transient light curves. This would require a CCD camera attached to the 14” diameter telescope housed in the MacPherson Observatory on the Rutherford Building roof top. CCDs were co-invented by one of our brilliant physics students, Willard Boyle (Physics Nobel Prize 2009). 5. Building a simple open frame optical microscope would allow exciting biomolecule imaging such as quantifying protein-DNA interactions in confined spaces, combing optics, instrumentation, micor/nanofluidics and statistical mechanics in the modern physics labs.

Left: entropically stretched DNA(blue) in microchannels observed with open-frame fluorescence microscope (Leslie lab).

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