Starting in May of 2024, I participated in an 8-month long Co-op internship at Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Basic Research Laboratories (BRL) in Atsugi, Kanagawa in Japan.
I self-directed optical fiber-based multi-party quantum communication experiments, with the goal of realizing quantum entanglement between multiple users in an optical fiber-based quantum network. I led experiments improving quantum interference visibility between heralded single photon and weak coherent pulse sources. This work was published in the Japanese Journal of Applied Physics (JJAP).
I independently optimized experimental procedures, reducing run time by up to 80%. I designed automated experimental procedures through Jupyter notebooks, remotely controlling equipment using PyVISA and PySerial to communicate through the RS232 protocol. Where this was not possible, I used NI LabVIEW to supplement my Python scripts. I also developed data processing and time-to-event sorting algorithms, along with a simulation model predicting optical filtration effects on quantum interference visibility.
Through this experience, I gained valuable insight into research procedure and experiment design, in addition to the Japanese work environment.