Barker leads the UCL Optomechanics Group, focusing on levitated nano/micro-oscillators in vacuum. Research directions: (1) Six-degree-of-freedom cooling — demonstrated simultaneous cavity cooling of all 6 DOF of a levitated nanoparticle (Nature Physics 2023, with Monteiro); (2) Sympathetic cooling of two nanoparticles via Coulomb interaction, squeezing transfer (Phys. Rev. Research 2023); (3) Dark matter searches — levitated nanoparticles as directional dark matter sensors sensitive to nuclear recoil and momentum transfer; QTFP-funded project 'Development of Levitated Quantum Optomechanical Sensors for Dark Matter Detection'; (4) Controlling mode orientations for directional force sensing near the quantum limit; (5) Quantum macroscopic superposition tests. Closely collaborates with Monteiro (theory), Bose (quantum entanglement tests), and Ghag (dark matter).
Sahar Basiri-Esfahani is a quantum optics theorist working on squeezed light, continuous-variable quantum systems, quantum noise, and quantum measurement theory. Research interests include quantum noise reduction in optomechanical systems, theoretical frameworks for quantum sensing with squeezed and entangled states, and quantum-enhanced measurement protocols. Borderline theoretical inclusion.
Briant works in LKB's optomechanics and quantum-measurement team, using high-finesse Fabry-Perot cavities coupled to mirror/membrane mechanical resonators to study radiation-pressure back-action, quantum noise, and force sensing near the standard quantum limit, alongside Pierre-Francois Cohadon and Antoine Heidmann.
Chu leads the Hybrid Quantum Systems Group coupling mechanical resonators to superconducting circuits and diamond color centers. Research directions: (1) Circuit quantum acousto-dynamics (cQAD) — HBAR resonators coupled to transmon qubits achieve single-phonon nonlinearity (coherence/anharmonicity ratio 6.8), mechanical qubit gates demonstrated (arXiv 2406.07360, 2024); (2) Optimal control for high Fock state preparation in bulk resonators; (3) Ultra-cold mechanical quantum sensor — cryogenically cooled nanomechanical oscillators as probes for new physics beyond the standard model; (4) Coupling NV/SiV color centers in diamond to acoustic waves for hybrid quantum memory and transduction. Targets long-lived phonon storage for quantum networking and quantum sensing beyond the standard quantum limit.
Theorist developing frameworks for quantum sensing, control, and amplification in driven-dissipative quantum systems. Directions: (1) quantum noise theory for optomechanical and electromechanical sensors — fundamental limits and backaction evasion; (2) parametric amplification and squeezing beyond standard quantum limit; (3) non-reciprocal quantum systems for quantum-limited amplifiers; (4) quantum sensing theory for GW detectors and CMB experiments. 2020 Simons Investigator in Theoretical Physics.
Cohadon and Heidmann co-lead the Optomechanics and Quantum Measurements group at LKB. Research directions: (1) Back-action evasion and Standard Quantum Limit (SQL) — early demonstration of radiation-pressure back-action in a micro-mirror (Nature 2006), subsequent beating of SQL via quantum correlations; (2) Micro/nanomechanical resonators — 2D photonic crystal deformable slabs, membrane-in-the-middle cavities, micropillar resonators for radiation-pressure optomechanics; (3) Superconducting qubit–macroscopic membrane coupling — Jacqmin & Deléglise team: resonant coupling of transmon qubit to MHz membrane oscillator, tracking quantum motion with 300 repeated interactions (2025); high-impedance hyperinductors for electromechanics; (4) Gravitational wave detector contributions — VIRGO/LIGO data analysis and quantum noise modeling. Applications include back-action-evading force sensing and tests of quantum mechanics at macroscopic scales.
Pierre-François Cohadon leads the optomechanics and quantum measurements group at LKB (ENS site). Research: (1) mechanical quantum systems and back-action-evading measurement; (2) gravitational wave detector enhancement — white-light cavity proposals to extend GW sensitivity; (3) quantum optomechanical sensing of forces and fields. The group was key to the LKB optomechanics tradition and is affiliated with Virgo/LIGO enhancement proposals.
Courty provides theoretical support to LKB's optomechanics and quantum-measurement experiments, working on quantum-noise theory for radiation-pressure coupled cavities and standard-quantum-limit-evading measurement schemes.
Eggleton directs the Institute of Photonics and Optical Science and runs one of the world's leading groups on stimulated Brillouin scattering in integrated photonic circuits — the coherent interaction of light with GHz acoustic phonons in a chalcogenide or silicon waveguide. The consequences are a chip-scale microwave photonic toolbox (ultra-narrowband filters, true time delay, RF spectral analysis), photon-phonon memory, and, through the Jericho Smart Sensing Laboratory, translation into deployed sensing platforms. Positioned against the established body of NV-ensemble quantum sensing work — DEER, nanoscale NMR and T1 relaxometry protocols operating at pT/sqrt(Hz) field sensitivity — Brillouin optomechanics is a distinct route to the same goal — reading a weak signal out of a high-Q, low-loss resonator at the quantum noise floor — and the group's phonon-photon coupling is strong enough that quantum optomechanical operation is now within reach. Very large, very well-resourced group with extensive industry and defence funding; a candidate would be one of many.
Guerlin works on quantum-limited optomechanical measurement and quantum non-demolition detection schemes within LKB's optomechanics team, building on cavity-QED-style quantum-measurement concepts applied to mechanical degrees of freedom.