Prof. Dr. Nicolas Joly

  • Professor
  • Room: A 2.214
  • Tel.: +49 9131 7133 215
  • Email
  • Quantum optics: generation of non-classical light
  • Non-linear optics: generation of new frequencies and of low-noise supercontinuum
  • Applied science: developing fibre tools for real-time monitoring of chemical reactions and sensing with particle trapped inside hollow-core fibre

2022

Editorial: Future directions in novel laser source development: Dynamical properties, and beam manipulation

Xing Fu, Tijmen Euser, Shu-Wei Huang, Nicolas Y. Joly, Shangran Xie

FRONTIERS IN PHYSICS 10 1052461 (2022) | Journal | PDF

Editorial on the Research Topic: Future Directions in Novel Laser Source Development: Dynamical Properties, and Beam Manipulation

Spatially resolved spectroscopy of alkali metal vapour diffusing inside hollow-core photonic crystal fibres

Daniel Häupl, Daniel Weller, Robert Loew, Nicolas Y. Joly

NEW JOURNAL OF PHYSICS 24 (11) 113017 (2022) | Journal | PDF

We present a new type of compact and all-glass based vapour cell integrating hollow-core photonic crystal fibres. The absence of metals, as in a traditional vacuum chamber and the much more compact geometry allows for fast and homogeneous heating. As a consequence we can fill the fibres on much faster timescales, ranging from minutes to hours. Additionally the all-glass design ensures optical access along the fibre. This allows live monitoring of the diffusion of rubidium atoms inside the hollow-core by measuring the frequency-dependent fluorescence from the atoms. The atomic density is numerically retrieved using a five-level system of Bloch-equations.

Tunable and state-preserving frequency conversion of single photons in hydrogen

Rinat Tyumenev, Jonas Hammer, Nicolas Joly, Philip St.J. Russell, David Novoa

Science 376 (6593) 621-624 (2022) | Journal | PDF

In modern quantum technologies, preservation of the photon statistics of quantum optical states upon frequency conversion holds the key to the viable implementation of quantum networks, which often require interfacing of several subsystems operating in widely different spectral regions. Most current approaches offer only very small frequency shifts and limited tunability, while suffering from high insertion loss and Raman noise originating in the materials used. We introduce a route to quantum-correlation–preserving frequency conversion using hydrogen-filled antiresonant-reflecting photonic crystal fibers. Transient optical phonons generated by stimulated Raman scattering enable selective frequency up-conversion by 125 terahertz of the idler photon of an entangled pair, with efficiencies up to 70%. This threshold-less molecular modulation process preserves quantum correlations, making it ideal for applications in quantum information.

Scientific career

  • Since 2021: Head of the microstructured optical fibres independent research group at the Max-Planck Institute for the Science of Light in Erlangen, Germany
  • Since 2009: Associate professor at the Univ. of Erlangen-Nuremberg in Germany
  • 2005 – 2008: Maître de conférences at the Univ. of Lille in France

Education background

  • 2012: Habilitation at the Ecole Normale Supérieure of Cachan (France)
    Title: Supercontinuum generation using pulses propagating in photonic crystal fibres
    Defended in July. 10th 2012. Thesis adviser: Prof. Dr. Joseph Zyss.
  • 2002-2005: Post-doctoral fellow at the University of Bath (UK) in the group of Prof. Philip Russell
  • 1999-2002: PhD with honors (“Félicitations du jury”) at the laboratory of Physics of Lasers, Atoms, and Molecules (PhLAM) at the University of Lille (France)
    Title: Instabilities in pulsed mode-locked lasers: techniques for observation and control
    Defended on Sept. 23rd 2002. Thesis adviser: Prof. Dr. Serge Bielawski.

Awards & appointments

  • Since 2023: Advisor of the Erlangen Optica Student Chapter
  • Since 2021: Scientific coordinator of the Internation Max Planck School for the Physics of Light (IMPRS-PL)
  • Since 2020: Senior member of Optical Society of America (OSA)
  • Since 2019: Fellow of the Max Planck School of Photonics (MPSP) and member of the selection committee
  • Since 2016: Fellow of the Max Planck Center for Extreme and Quantum Photonics, Ottawa, Canada
  • 1999: MENRT scholarship from the French ministry of Research to perform his doctoral degree at the University of Lille from 1999 to 2002
  • 1998: Awarded a CIME scholarship from AUF (Agence universitaire de la Francophonie) to perform his Master study at Laval University (Québec) in 1998

Professional activities

  • 2024: Member of the Technical Program Committee for the SPIE Photonics Europe in Strasbourg
  • Since 2022: Associate Editor of Opt. Express
  • 2017: General chair of the 1st Sino-German symposium on fiber photonics for light-matter interaction in Shanghai, China
  • 2017 – 2018: Member of the Technical Program Committee for SPIE UV and higher energy photonic
  • 2013 – 2017: Member of Technical Program Committee for CLEO US (OSA)
  • 2015: co-Chair of the 2nd Siegman International School of Laser (OSA)
  • Since 2015: Member of the Technical Program Committee for WSOF (OSA) in Hong-Kong (2015), Limasol in Cypris (2017), Adelaide in Australia (2022), and in Prague in Czech Republic (2025)
  • Since 20214: Member of the Student Commission of the internation Master of Advanced Optics and Technologies (MAOT)
  • 2013: Topical session at PIERS (Progress in Electromagnetics Research Symposium) in Stockholm
  • 2011: International conference on Nonlinear optics and complexity in photonic crystal fibers and nanostructures in Erice, in Sicily
  • 2011: 14th International SAOT workshop on Fiber laser, sensors and materials at Reicheschwand, Germany
  • Since 2009: External expert for the evaluation of proposals from ANR (National agency of research in France), the Polish Society of Science, DFG (National agency of research in Germany) and ERC (European Research Council)
  • Since 2009: Supervisor of 13 PhD students, 2 post-docs, 14 MSc students

Ongoing projects

  • DFG project JO 1090/8-3 – OrbitFlySens [FAU]
    Orbiting flying particle sensor (with Bernhard Schmauß, FAU) – 2025-2028
  • BayFrance FK-34-2024 [FAU]
    Real-time detection of Terahertz signals using ultrashort lasers
    Mobility allowance – collaboration with University of Lille - 2025
  • BayFrance FK-35-2024 [FAU]
    Exploring chiral fibers for new-type of polarization-resolved endoscopy
    Mobility allowance – collaboration with University of Marseille – 2025
  • DFG project JO 1090/3-2 – Photon Triplets [FAU]
    Generation of photon triplets via three-photon parametric down-conversion (with Maria Chekhova) – 2024-2027
  • QuNet beta [MPL]
    2021-2026
  • Max-Planck-School of Photonics (MPSP) [FAU]
    2019-2025

Finished projects

  • SFB – QuCoLiMa [FAU]
    Levitated ferrimagnetic particles in hollow-core photonic crystal fibres -2021-2025
  • DFG project JO 1090/6-1 -Twin Beams [FAU]
    Fiber source of entangled photons with giant tunable frequency separation (with Maria Chekhova) - 2021-2024
  • DFG project JO 1090/4-1 – Rydbergatoms in photonic crystal fibres [FAU]
    (with Robert Löw, University of Stuttgart) - 2019-2023
  • BayFrance FK-29-2018 [FAU]
    Frequency conversion of single-photon quantum sources using gas-filled hollow-core photonic crystal fibres
    Mobility allowance – collaboration with LKB, Ens Paris, France - 2018
  • DFG project JO 1090/3-1 – Photon Triplets [FAU]
    Generation of photon triplets via three-photon parametric down-conversion (with Maria Chekhova) – 2017-2020
  • BayFrance FK-38-2013 [FAU]
    Dynamical instabilities in photonic crystal fiber ring cavities synchronously pumped by femtosecond pulses
    Mobility allowance – collaboration with University of Lille, France - 2013-2014

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