Quantum computational supremacy in multiphoton interferometry

Applications are invited for a self-funded, 3 year full-time or 6 year part-time PhD project.

The PhD will be based in the School of Mathematics and Physics and will be supervised by Dr Vincenzo Tamma and Professor Paolo Facchi at the University of Bari, Italy.

The second quantum revolution continues to trigger the development of quantum technologies providing strategic capabilities for the security, health and well-being of our society.

A crucial step in this direction is to achieve a quantum advantage regime in a given computational task with respect to current classical schemes. An example of a task which is computationally hard for a classical computer is “boson sampling” which is nonetheless implementable by exploiting the quantum interference of indistinguishable photons in a linear optical interferometer. Since its discovery such a problem has triggered a race for experimental implementations across the world.

The overarching goal of this project is to introduce an innovative versatile platform of optical implementations of quantum computational supremacy beyond standard boson sampling and to enhance their robustness to losses and their scalability for higher and higher numbers of photons. This will be possible by using experimentally accessible photonic sources and by taking full advantage of the available quantum resources, including inner-mode photonic degrees of freedom and other physical parameters defining the photonic quantum states.  This will boost the development of an innovative technological platform for quantum information processing enabled by experimental resources already easy to access.

The PhD student will benefit from the experience of the supervisory team in quantum information and from the international and interdisciplinary environment within the Quantum Science and Technology Hub at the University of Portsmouth as well as a highly interactive research group in quantum technologies and quantum optics. She/he will also benefit from the expertise of prominent scientists and collaborators in research areas related to the project at the interface between quantum optics, quantum metrology, and quantum information. In particular, she/he will also interact with leading international experimentalists across several countries collaborating with the research team toward the experimental realization of the theoretical results foreseen in the project.

Fees and funding

Visit the research subject area page for fees and funding information for this project.

Funding availability: Self-funded PhD students only. 

PhD full-time and part-time courses are eligible for the UK Government Doctoral Loan (UK and EU students only).

Bench fees

Some PhD projects may include additional fees – known as bench fees – for equipment and other consumables, and these will be added to your standard tuition fee. Speak to the supervisory team during your interview about any additional fees you may have to pay. Please note, bench fees are not eligible for discounts and are non-refundable.