Aeppli leads the Quantum Technologies Group spanning ETH Zurich, EPFL, and PSI. Research directions: (1) Quantum materials imaging β using SLS synchrotron X-rays (including SwissFEL ultrafast pulses) and neutrons at SINQ to image quantum phase transitions, skyrmions, and correlated phases; non-destructive imaging of device structures; (2) Rare-earth quantum magnets and qubits β LiHoF4 as a model quantum system; Er, Pr, and Nd spin qubits in crystals for quantum information and sensing; (3) Semiconductor quantum devices β silicon and germanium nanostructures probed by synchrotron nanoscale X-ray imaging; (4) Van der Waals materials and CDW memory devices. Strong interface with PSI large-scale facilities as unique quantum sensing tools for materials.
Craik leads the RAVIOLIS project (SNSF Starting Grant, started July 2025) measuring atomic parity violation in barium ions at <0.1% precision. Her entanglement protocol uses multi-ion entangled states with photonic integrated waveguide addressing to common-mode-reject parity-conserving systematics. Previous work: precision measurement of Ba+ dipole transition probabilities below 1% uncertainty; first laser-guided individual addressing of Ba+ qubits with <10^-4 intensity crosstalk; isotope-shift spectroscopy in Ca+ for fifth-force searches. She is actively recruiting for postdocs and PhD students for the new Ba+ ion trap experiment.
Brantut's lab studies quantum transport in ultracold Fermi gases, using them as quantum simulators for nanoscale solid-state devices. Research directions: (1) Mesoscopic quantum transport β fermionic cold atoms transported through quantum point contacts, studying conductance quantization, shot noise, and thermoelectric effects in atomic-scale channels; (2) Fermionic superfluidity in confined geometries β observing and probing pairing in constrictions; (3) Dissipation and open quantum systems β controlled introduction of loss to study non-Hermitian quantum physics; (4) Quantum thermometry in ultracold systems β using transport signatures as precision thermometers. Analogous to quantum Hall measurements and nanoelectronics in an ultra-clean platform.
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) β 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 β 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.
Curry's group works on advanced electronic materials with emphasis on quantum technology applications. Research directions: (1) Single-ion implantation and detection β using P-NAME (Manchester's unique instrument for ion implantation at 20 nm accuracy) to deterministically place single rare-earth ions (Er3+, Pr3+) in photonic substrates for quantum memory and sensing; (2) Er:Si and Er:SiO2 photonics β developing silicon-compatible Er-doped waveguides and cavities emitting at 1.5 Β΅m for quantum network interfaces; (3) Colloidal quantum dots for sensing β photon-number-resolved detection using InAs QDs; (4) Ion beam technologies β SIMS and focused ion beam for quantum material characterization and fabrication. Access to P-NAME facility is unique in UK.
Degen leads the Spin Physics and Imaging group, one of the world's leading NV-center magnetometry labs. Research directions (as of 2025): (1) Scanning NV magnetometry of quantum materials β NV-tipped cantilevers image current flow (β²50 nm resolution) in graphene heterostructures and resolve domain walls in antiferromagnets/ferroelectrics; cryogenic scanning down to 350 mK in dilution refrigerator (published Appl. Phys. Lett. 2022). (2) Single-molecule NMR β shallow NV centers detect nuclear spins from surface-adsorbed molecules with sub-nanometer 3D resolution; 2022 Nano Lett. on amine-functionalized diamond surfaces; exploring chirality-induced spin selectivity at few-molecule level. (3) NV magnetometry protocols β reconstruction-free waveform sensing (1.1 ns time resolution, Nature 2025), gradiometric detection, spectrum demodulation for rapid scanning, multi-NV addressing. (4) Diamond nanoengineering β multicone pillar waveguides, surface engineering, scanning probe fabrication. ERC Proof-of-Concept 2025 for photonic IC single-photon NV excitation/detection for commercial quantum sensing.
Faist is the inventor of the quantum cascade laser (QCL, 1994 at Bell Labs) and leads the Quantum Optoelectronics Group at ETH. Research directions: (1) QCL frequency combs β ring QCLs demonstrate dissipative Kerr solitons in the THz (Science Advances 2023), key for broadband integrated mid-IR spectrometers; (2) Dual-comb spectroscopy β two co-integrated ring QCLs for ultrafast molecular fingerprinting; (3) Quantum cascade detectors β strain-compensated InGaAs/InAlAs QCDs for short-wave mid-IR (<4 Β΅m) sensing; (4) THz strong-coupling β ultrastrongly coupled 2DEG in cavities for quantum photonics; (5) Astrophysical heterodyne receivers β double-metal QCL Josephson mixers. Spin-off: IRsweep (mid-IR dual-comb systems) and Alpes Lasers (QCL commercialisation). FIRST Center head at ETH.
Galland leads LQNO at EPFL investigating light-matter interactions in nano-structures and the quantum regime. Research directions: (1) NV centers in diamond for quantum sensing β spectroscopy of NV spin states in ultra-thin diamond membranes, development of diamond nanophotonic platforms for enhanced sensing sensitivity; collaboration on quantum sensing with color centers; (2) Plasmonic nanocavities β few-nm gap junctions enhance Raman scattering by Γ10^9, enabling single-molecule vibrational spectroscopy and coherent control; ultrafast and single-photon detection of coherent phonon dynamics; (3) 2D heterostructure photonics β entangled photon pair generation enhanced by TMD heterostructures; valley-polarized exciton sources; (4) Optical frequency conversion for quantum applications. SNSF-funded professor, internationally recognized for molecular optomechanics and carbon nanotube quantum optics.
Gambardella leads the Magnetism and Interface Physics group at ETH D-MATL. Research directions: (1) Scanning probe magnetometry β using NV-center cantilevers (collaboration with Degen) and magneto-optical Kerr microscopy to image spin textures (skyrmions, domain walls) in thin-film heterostructures with sub-100 nm resolution; (2) Spin-orbit torques β current-induced magnetization switching via interfacial spin-orbit coupling; spin Hall and Rashba effects for spintronic devices; (3) Single-atom magnetism β STM and X-ray absorption for element-specific orbital and spin moments of individual atoms on surfaces; (4) XMCD at synchrotron β quantitative element-specific magnetic spectroscopy. Quantum sensing angle: spin-orbit driven phenomena, high-resolution magnetic imaging.
Grange leads the Optical Nanomaterial Group at ETH, developing nonlinear materials for quantum photonic integrated circuits. Research directions: (1) Barium titanate (BTO) nanophotonics β scalable CMOS-compatible BTO thin-film integrated circuits exploiting large Ο(2) nonlinearity for quantum entangled photon-pair generation via SPDC; (2) Lithium niobate on insulator (LNOI) β quantum photonic integrated circuits for heralded single-photon sources and electro-optic transduction; (3) Second-harmonic generation sensing β SHG-active nanocrystals as contrast agents and phase-sensitive probes in biological imaging; (4) On-chip entangled photon sources for quantum communication and sensing. Strong quantum sensing application in nonlinear optical readout of quantum states.