The National Laboratory for Photonics and Quantum Technologies - NLPQT - is an investment project under which a modern infrastructure in the field of photonics and optical quantum technologies is being built in Poland. The infrastructure built within the frame of the Project will be available to scientists and entrepreneurs interested in using it for research and development. Thus, the Project will make it possible to use the most modern research equipment for entities that cannot afford to incur high investment costs of its purchase. Importantly, the infrastructure includes numerous innovative constructions, based on proprietary solutions developed by scientific groups involved in the implementation of the Project. As a result, many of the constructed devices offer capabilities that are not currently available on the market.
The infrastructure built is in the form of over 80 research stations located in 7 research centers in 6 cities. The range of its applications is very wide and includes, among others:
• development of secure data transmission methods using cryptographic key distribution based on quantum effects, thanks to which the transmission is fully protected against eavesdropping;
• development of new lasers and laser devices, including high-power pulsed lasers and laser radiation sources operating in the near-infrared and mid-infrared range, with very high resistance to environmental conditions and mechanical vibrations;
• laser micromachining of materials using high-power femtosecond lasers, enabling the cutting and modification of glasses, polymers, metals and hard materials; surface structuring and functionalization, marking and welding are also possible; micromachining stations will allow for the production of prototypes and the implementation of feasibility studies for industrial entities;
• detection of toxic gases and air pollutants based on the absorption of near-infrared radiation, allowing the detection of trace gas concentrations;
• production of specialized glass and polymer optical fibers, including fibers for sensor applications and the construction of optical fiber devices.
Apart from those mentioned above, potential applications of the emerging infrastructure cover practically all areas of photonics applications in modern technologies.
In addition to the stations located in individual research centers, the following will be built:
• a fiber optic link between Warsaw and Poznań enabling the testing of devices for the quantum cryptographic key distribution;
• a fiber optic network for the transmission of the reference optical frequency from the Polish Optical Atomic Clock in Toruń to the Project partners in Warsaw, Poznań, Wrocław and Kraków.
The infrastructure will be commercially available after its completion in 2023. More information is available on the Project website: http://nlpqt.fuw.edu.pl/en/. The project is financed by the European Funds under the Smart Growth Operational Program.