ABSTRACT: In this seminar, I will first discuss how vacuum fluctuations can be harnessed by injecting vacuum-level bias fields into a multistable optical system, specifically an optical parametric oscillator (OPO). This approach allows tunable control of steady-state probabilities and lays the groundwork for an innovative framework for intracavity quantum tomography. I will demonstrate how this method facilitates the visualization of cavity quantum states, such as squeezed vacuum states, through Husimi Q-function representations, while also revealing temporal dynamics like phase-sensitive parametric amplification. In the second part, I will discuss multimode nonlinear cavity systems, focusing on how dissipation engineering can shape quantum noise and how the interplay between nonlinearity and non-Hermitian photonics unlocks new regimes for non-reciprocal frequency conversion. These breakthroughs lead to highly efficient nonlinear processes and tailored frequency combs, with transformative applications in quantum information, precision sensing, and photonic technologies.

Bio: Yannick Salamin is an Assistant Professor with the College of Optics and Photonics (CREOL) at the University of Central Florida (UCF). Previously, he was a Postdoctoral Fellow at MIT, where his research focused on complex light-matter interactions in multistable and multimodal systems, with applications in optical computing and spectroscopy. Dr. Salamin earned his Dr.Sc. from ETH Zurich, where he developed integrated plasmonic platforms for efficient nonlinear and optoelectronic devices. He received the ETH Medal for outstanding thesis, the 2021 ABB Research Prize, and was awarded a SNSF Early Post-Doc Mobility fellowship.

This seminar is sponsored by the Department of Applied Physics and the Ginzton Laboratory