Sahil Patel Receives UCSB ECE Outstanding TA Award for 2022-2023

Sahil currently runs The Quantum Photonics Learning Lab (QPLL): Quantum photonics is the science of generating, manipulating, and detecting quantum states of light. This lab course provides an introduction to this field through a series of hands-on quantum photonics labs. Through in-person or remotely accessible modules that utilize an entangled-photon pair source, interferometers, polarizers and wave plates, and single-photon detectors, students learn the fundamentals of: (1) classical versus quantum light; (2) single and entangled-photon sources; (3) bits versus qubits; (4) single-photon interference; (5) quantum light analysis methods including photon antibunching and Bell-state measurements; and (6) applications including quantum key distribution, linear optical quantum computing, remote sensing, and metrology (e.g. Bell tests and LIGO). We also delve into quantum sensing with a microwave- and optically-driven NV center diamond magnetometer.

Specific lab modules include:

• Bits vs. Qubits
• Wave-particle duality
• Polarization entanglement and Bell-state measurements
• Single-photon anti-bunching
• Single-photon interference
• Quantum eraser

The lab was first taught remotely in spring 2021. Led by QPL graduate student Sahil Patel, undergraduate Max Shen, and alumna Quynh Dang, the lab was adapted for the Quantum Bootcamp--a three-week course for the Quantum Foundry undergraduate interns. The course, taught summer 2021, introduced 10 students (100% UR, 80% URM) to the fundamental concepts of QISE using modules (1)-(4). In spring 2022, the QPLL will be launched for in-person undergraduate QISE learning in partnership with Santa Barbara City College with support from the NSF CAREER program.