The Quantum Optics and Information Laboratory (QOIL), founded in 2006, is the home of Geoff Pryde’s research group.

We perform experiments with photons – single particles of light – to investigate quantum information science and to study the fundamental laws of quantum physics. Our work is directed at developing the next generation of information and measurement technologies, whilst revealing the nature of the quantum world.

QOIL is a part of the Centre for Quantum Dynamics at Griffith University. We’re also a key member of CQC2T – the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology – a large Australian-based and internationally-connected focused research initiative. We also conduct other, separately funded, quantum and optics research. The group collaborates with theorists and experimentalists worldwide – a non-exhaustive list includes Oxford University, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST, USA), the National University of Singapore, the University of Bristol, the University of Geneva, the Institute for Quantum Computing at the University of Waterloo (Canada), as well as many other partners.

Our staff and students are tightly integrated into the Australian and international community. They enjoy active collaborations and networking through travel programs, conferences, and lab exchanges, ensuring that they remain at the cutting edge of international research.

QOIL’s facilities are world class: we have developed state-of-the-art sources of single photons and entangled photons, with ultra-high heralding efficiency and photon purity. Our dedicated vibration-damped dark spaces are equipped with high-end lasers, optics, and experimental control hardware. Via our collaboration with NIST, we enjoy the use of high-efficiency fast superconducting nanowire single photon detectors.

Professor Geoff Pryde, the group leader, is excited by the strange quantum world, and by the opportunities to harness it for new technologies. He has led the team to make major advances in quantum computing, long-range entanglement sharing for quantum communication, quantum metrology (precision measurement), and fundamental studies of entanglement and quantum measurements. Geoff is the Deputy Director of the Centre for Quantum Dynamics and a research Program Manager in CQC2T. He is a recipient of the Pawsey Medal of the Australian Academy of Science, and has held an Australian Research Council Future Fellowship.