DODD-WALLS CENTRE FOR PHOTONIC AND QUANTUM TECHNOLOGIES 2018 ANNUAL REPORT Cover image: Science wānanga participants on the Takitimu (Waihīrere) marae, Wairoa. TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 1 Report from the Chair 2 Report from the Director 4 Dodd-Walls Centre research fellowships: Introducing three rising stars 6 DWC research-impacted technologies 15 Research themes and highlights 16 2018 research highlights 18 DWC research excellence 30 Nurturing diversity 35 Educational and public outreach 38 Industry activities 48 Strategic outcomes 54 Value creation in the Dodd-Walls Centre 56 Communicating with metaphors 57 Facts and figures 59 Finances 61 Members, governance and management 62 Organisational and committee structure of the Dodd-Walls Centre 70 2018 Peer-reviewed journal publications 74 PhD Student Sonia Mobassem making adjustments to her research apparatus. INTRODUCTION New Zealand’s Dodd-Walls Centre is a national Centre of Research Excellence involving six universities and is administratively hosted by the University of Otago. Our research focuses on New Zealand’s acknowledged strength in the fields of precision atomic and quantum optical physics, and sensing applications ranging from the size of single atoms to crustal-scale geologic features such as the Alpine Fault. Our research explores the limits of control and measurement at the atomic scale through the use of laser light, the generation and manipulation of light at its most fundamental, quantum level and the processing and physical nature of information in this quantum realm. Our name honours two New Zealand pioneers in these fields. Jack Dodd (1922–2005), known for the first experiments of the quantum beat phenomenon and the theoretical explanation, and Dan Walls (1942–1999) who was accomplished across quantum optics, biophotonics, optical bistability, and was active in the field of Bose-Einstein condensation. Our Mission is Host University • to create a research centre that is recognised as one of the world’s leading organisations in the field of photonic and quantum technologies; • to build upon the acknowledged strength of New Zealand in the areas of non-linear and quantum optics and precision atomic physics; • to train and develop skilled staff and students to the highest international standards; • to help develop the high-tech industry sector, thus ensuring economic growth and continued career pathways in New Zealand. Collaborating Partners Tertiary Partners University of Otago (Host Institution), The University of Auckland, Massey University, University of Canterbury, Victoria University of Wellington, and The University of Waikato. Non-Tertiary Partners Callaghan Innovation, Southern Photonics, Otago Museum, Auckland UniServices Limited, and Otago Innovation Limited. International Partners Centre for Quantum Technologies, Singapore; Fraunhofer Centre for Applied Photonics and the University of Strathclyde, U.K., the Joint Quantum Institute, USA, and the University of Science and Technology, Anhui, China. 1 REPORT FROM THE CHAIR It is an extraordinary privilege to be asked to chair This increase in collaboration would not have occurred a centre comprising as many brilliant minds as the without the funding provided to the CoRE. It funds Dodd-Walls Centre. This annual report describes Monthly seminars across all themes. These seminars the scarcely imaginable intellectual ambition of well are video-linked. The presenters are encouraged to over one hundred highly gifted researchers, selected go to another centre (e.g. Auckland research will be because they are amongst the very brightest of presented in Otago) and visit other labs as part of the their generation, all here in New Zealand studying process. Students particularly are encouraged to visit internationally important challenges in modern other labs, and build collaborations. The TEC funding physics. Whether just starting their careers or now is also used to sponsor an annual symposium filled at a mature phase, their objective is to take human with opportunities to mingle and discuss work, as understanding of the world around us further than well as fund Workshops for students – e.g. KiwiNet has been achieved by any other individual working commercialisation workshops, and our own in-house anywhere or at any time hitherto. I can imagine entrepreneurship workshops – all of which encourages no better example of their achievement than the collaboration and interaction between students. stunning discovery by Howard Carmichael described The TEC funding is also applied to leverage public in this year’s highlights. He has helped predict and outcomes from the research – be this outreach demonstrate that changes in the quantum states activity or engagement with industry. Isolated of matter are not instantaneous, but happen very academics have few incentives to explore the quickly and smoothly in real time. This is “big physics” commercial implications of their research. But within of global significance. the CoRE we use the TEC funding to encourage The role of a Governance Board in a Centre of this entrepreneurial engagement with business. We nature is to help the Director create a more cohesive have used the funding to create a grant pool for infrastructure of support and encouragement so as to developing new ideas and directions where a bring out synergies and collaboration which enable premium is placed upon collaborative ideas. The individuals to excel. We must ensure that the funding Dodd-Walls Centre was first to create an Industry support provided by the TEC is applied prudently to Advisory Board alongside our Science Advisory Board. create outcomes from the collective which would not A direct result of their advice this year was the use occur if the individual academics involved just worked of some of our discretionary TEC funding to employ alone in their own Institutions. a Business Development Manager to help build our relationships with Industry. DWC events are taken The evolution of the Centre has seen a growth in seriously by industry. Working with us produces not only the number of joint publications, but also results. This is because the DWC provides a clear point the number of joint research proposals. Many of of call for harnessing the best team in New Zealand these are cross-institutional – e.g. Keith Gordon in for anything to do with light, photonics and precision Chemistry at Otago collaborates with Frederique measurement. If we can’t do it, we know the man Vanholsbeek and Kasper van Wijk in Physics at or woman that can. The DWC has set aggressive Auckland on an applied project for the meat industry milestones for its engagement with industry. These – but other collaborations and connections have been milestones have all been met and we are confident formed in unexpected places. For example, although that we will deliver the minimum of 500% return only a stairwell away, Bernd Krauskopf (Maths) and on investment after ten years we promised in our Neil Broderick (Physics) only found common research founding CoRE bid document. Our collaboration interests through the Centre. In 2018 they published with the NZ meat industry on assessment of meat three papers together. Other examples include cross- quality should deliver this on its own. Significantly CoRE collaboration in neuroscience (e.g. Cheyne, this collaboration could not exist without the CoRE. Broderick and Vanholsbeek). The collaborative team that was set up to solve this 2 problem of how to assess meat quality took the best researchers in New Zealand, with an aim of identifying the best technique to assess meat quality whilst still on the meat chain. No individual technique was a priori preferred. No individual team had a vested interest in making sure their technique worked. The CoRE was able to assess what would potentially work best in a commercial environment, then drop the techniques that weren’t efficient, accurate or cost effective. The Centre also gave a shop front with which the meat industry could engage, rather than individual researchers offering individual solutions. As well as working with established NZ industries, we are using the TEC funding to encourage entrepreneurship based on research within the Centre. This is nowhere better exemplified than in the efforts of DWC Principal Investigator, Professor Cather Simpson, who has taken her light based technology company, Engender Technologies, from inception to acquisition this year. Her technology uses laser light to determine the sex of bull sperm so enabling sperm selection to avoid the creation of bobby calves. This promises to create huge efficiency and animal welfare gains in the NZ beef industry, and Cather having now raised over $20M of new funding is currently helping the new owners with commercialisation. The Governance Board has also supported the CoRE Director, Professor Hutchinson, to address strategic issues relevant to the CoRE’s main research such as the coming quantum age. In Europe and the United States, and increasingly, China, Governments are making huge investments in the development of quantum technology. A driver in the UK, especially, has been to develop sovereign capability. It is important that NZ does likewise so that we can harness the new technology for niche applications in which we can excel. The Dodd-Walls strength in this area was highlighted by the visit from Centre for Quantum Technologies (Singapore) Director, Artur Ekert, in May. Ekert, also a Fellow of Merton College, Oxford, visited the Dodd-Walls Centre giving a public lecture at the Otago Museum, as well as speaking at an event hosted by the Hon Dr Megan Woods in the Grand Hall of Parliament. This event was attended by senior members of defence, intelligence and the banking sectors and focussed on the role of future quantum technology in cryptography and the security of our information – and money. The Dodd- Walls Centre isn’t only important in supporting our current growing high-tech sector, it’s essential for our future prosperity and security. G.A. CARNABY | FEBRUARY 28, 2019 3 REPORT FROM THE DIRECTOR Within the Dodd-Walls Centre we are ever mindful Review Letters, the flagship journal in physics.