Skip to main content
a

Dr. Ashok Kumar
Associate Professor

  • R-203

Department

Research interests

Experimental Quantum Optics, Quantum Sensing, Quantum-Enhanced Imaging, Quantum Communication and Quantum Cryptography, Bright Squeezed States, Quantum Plasmonic Sensors, Electromagnetically Induced Transparency, Orbital Angular Momentum of Light.

  • 02/2019-06/2023: Assistant Professor, Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram, India
  • 08/2015– 01/2019: Post-Doctoral Research Associate, The University of Oklahoma, Norman, USA
  • 02/2013– 07/2015: Post-Doctoral Fellow, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
  • 12/2011-01/2013: Post-Doctoral Fellow, Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad, India

Education

  • Ph.D. (Physics), Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad, India
  • M.Sc. (Physics), Kumaun University, Nainital, India
  • B.Sc. (Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics), Kumaun University, Nainital, India

Reviewing work

  • I have been a referee for Nature Physics, Optics Letters, Optics Express, Journal of Modern Optics, Journal of Optical Society of America A, and Optics and Lasers in Engineering

Invited Talks:

·         “1st International Conference on Emerging Trends in Optical Technologies” organised by SRM-AP during January 2-4, 2025, Keynote Talk Title: “The Quantum Optical Technologies in Macroscopic Regime”.
·         "ISAMP's 9th Topical conference on Ultrafast Photonics and Quantum Science" organized by Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad on Feb 15-17, 2024, Talk Title: “Quantum-Enhanced Sensing with Squeezed Light".
·         "Structured Training Program on Quantum Technology & Communication" organized by Space Application Center, Ahmedabad on March 18-22, 2024, Talk Title: “Quantum Sources".
·         "4th Workshop of International Network in Space Quantum Technology’s (INSQT)" jointly organised by the University of Strathclyde (UK) and Physical Research Laboratory, at Ahmedabad on March 20-22, 2024, Talk Title: “Engineered Spatial Quantum Correlations for Information Encoding".
·         “One-day Workshop on ‘Introduction to Quantum Technologies” organized by the Department of Physics on April 1, 2024, Talk Title: “Intriguing Quantum Effects of Light – The Road to Quantum Technology”
·         “Let’s talk Physics” Organized by the Department of Physics on April 16, 2024, Talk Title: “Quantum Technologies with Squeezed Light".
·         “1st Workshop of CAMRIE, on Quantum Materials and Devices 2024 (QMD 2024)”, organized by IISER Thiruvananthapuram, on August 9, 2024, Talk Title: “Quantum Optical Technologies with Squeezed Light”.
·         “XLVII OSI Symposium and an international conference of on Optics and Photonics Instrumentation (OPTOIn-2024)” organised by CSIR-CSIO Chandigarh on October 23-25, 2024, Talk Title: “Quantum-Enhanced Sensing with Squeezed Light”.
·         “Two-Day Workshop on Quantum Mechanics”, organized by Mar Ivanios College Trivandrum, on November 1 & 2, 2024, Talk Title:  “From Quantum Mechanics to Quantum Technologies”
·         “International conference on complex quantum systems” organized by BARC Mumbai during January 18-21, 2023, Talk Title: “Quantum-Enhanced Sensing with Squeezed Light”.
·         “Pre-conference school one overlapping areas of Atomic and Molecular Physics and Quantum Technology” organized by IIST-IISER Thiruvananthapuram, during February 16-18, 2023, Talk Title: “Quantization of electromagnetic field”.
·         “An international conference on Quantum Information and Quantum Technology (QIQT)” organized by IISER Kolkata, during May 8-June 15, 2023, Talk Title: “Encoding information in spatial correlations of bright entangled light beams” (Online).
·         “All Kerala Student's Congress 2023, AKSC23” organized byTKM College of Engineering Kollam in association with IEEE on Sept 17, 2023, Talk Title:  “Quantum Technology for Remote Sensing”.
·         “Student Conference on Optics and Photonics- SCOP 2023” organized by Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad on Sept 26-30, 2023, Talk Title: “Information encoding in spatial correlations of macroscopically entangled light”.
·         “International Conference on Optics, Photonics and Quantum Information: OPTIQ -2023” organized by Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kochi during December 11-13, 2023, Talk Title: “Quantum Technologies with Bright Squeezed Light”.
·         “Seminar at the Physics Department of IIT Madras” ” on November 17, 2023, Talk Title: “Quantum Technologies with Bright Squeezed Light.
·         “Seminar on Space Quantum Frontiers” organized by SAC Ahmedabad on May 19, 2022, Talk Title: “Quantum Technologies with Bright Quantum Light”.
·         “Training Program of Quantum Computing for SAC (ISRO) Scientists/Engineers” organized by Nirma University, Ahmedabad on May 26, 2022, Talk Title: “Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) Paradox with Light”.
·         “Summer School on Quantum Information and Quantum Technology QIQT-2021”, organised by IISER Kolkata on June 29, Talk Title: “Spatial quantum correlation properties of bright twin beams of light”.
·         “International conference on Quantum Foundations, Technologies and Applications, QFTA-2020” organised by IISER Mohali during December 04-09, 2020, Tal Title: “Quantum enhanced sensing”.
·         “Seminar at the Space Application Center, Ahmedabad” on August 06, 2020, Talk Title: “Quantum Sensing and Quantum Radar”.
·         “An International Conference on Quantum Frontiers and Fundamentals 2020” organised by RRI Bangalore during January 13-18, 2020, Contributory Talk Title: “Quantum-enhanced sensing for plasmonic sensors”.
·         “Summer School on Quantum Information and Quantum Technology QIQT-2019”, organised by IISER Kolkata during June 10-July 23, 2019, Talk Title:Squeezed Light and Quantum Optics

  •    “Student Conference on Optics and Photonics”, organized by PRL Ahmedabad during September 24- 26, 2019, Talk Title: “Quantum-Enhanced Plasmonic Sensing”.

International visits and talks given

2017: Center for Nanophase and Material Science, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, USA: Title- Quantum-Enhanced Plasmonic Sensors

2015: Department of Physics, University of Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil: Title- Investigation of laser beams carrying orbital angular momentum

2013: Institute of Physics, University of Sao Paulo, Brazil: Title- A study of twisted light beams

2012: Institute for Ultrafast Spectroscopy and Lasers, City College of New York, USA: Title- A study of coherence properties of optical vortices

2012: Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, Boston University, USA: Title- A study of propagation, diffraction and coherence properties of optical vortices

2012: Institute of Photonic Sciences, Barcelona, Spain: Title- Field and intensity correlation studies of optical vortices

2011: Quantum Optics Group, University of Rome, Italy: Title- Vortices in light: field and intensity correlation studies

2011: Instituto Nazionale di Ricerca Metrologica INRIM, Turin, Italy: Title-Vortices in light: field and intensity correlation studies

Conference participations and paper presentation

 2018: 49th Annual Meeting of the APS Division of Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, USA: Paper-Direct measurement of position-momentum entanglement in bright twin beams

2018: CLEO:2018, San Jose convention center, San Jose, USA: Paper-Quantum-Enhanced Ultrasound Detection with Plasmonic Sensors

2016: Frontiers in Optics, Rochester, USA: Paper-Spatial Squeezing in Bright Twin Light Beams using a CCD Camera

2016: 47th Annual Meeting of the APS Division of Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics, Providence, Rhode Island, USA: Paper-Experimental observation of spatial quantum noise reduction below the standard quantum limit with bright twin beams of light

2014: International Conference on Atomic Physics, Washington DC, USA: Paper-Non-Resonant correlation spectroscopy in cold atoms: extracting the correlation information of light sidebands

2013: Symposium honoring Prof. Daniel Kleppner, Sao Carlos, Brazil: Paper-Intensity correlation studies of optical vortices

2012: CLEO:2012, San Jose convention center, San Jose, USA: Paper-HBT-type experiment with optical vortices

2012: National Laser Symposium-20, Anna University Chennai, India: Papers-(i) Experimental analysis of optical diffraction in self-assembled photonic crystals, and (ii) First and second order coherence studies of optical vortices

2012: 99th Indian Science Congress, KIIT Bhubaneswar, India: Paper-Making optical vortex and its copies using a single spatial light modulator

2011: Workshop and Singular Optics and its Applications to Modern Physics, ICTP, Trieste, Italy: Paper- An experimental investigation of spatial coherence and information entropy of optical vortices

2011: XXXV OSI Symposium-International Conference on Contemporary Trends in Optics and Optoelectronics, IIST Thiruvananthapuram, India: Paper-Degeneracy of optical vortices and the core asymmetry

2010: International Conference on Fiber Optics and Photonics, IIT Guwahati, India: Papers- (i) Decoherence of optical vortices in scattering, and (ii) Two-point correlation function for optical vortices

2010: State Level Conference on Role of Science and Technology in the Development of Uttarakhand State, GPGC Bageshwar (India): Paper-Ellipticity of the core and decay of high order optical vortices

2010: National Laser Symposium-09, BARC Mumbai, India: Paper-Experimental study of power decay of optical vortices in photorefractive material

2010: International Conference on Fiber Optics and Photonics, IIT Delhi, India: Paper-Photon Correlation Spectroscopy using Optical Vortices

2009: Workshop on Introduction to Optofluidics, ICTP, Trieste, Italy: Paper-Controlling the flow of microscopic particles using optical beams

2008: Workshop on Laser Spectroscopy and Nano Photonics, IIT Delhi, India: Paper-Optical trapping and fluorescence studies of microscopic particles

My current research interests are in different areas of experimental quantum optics and quantum technologies. In particular, currently I am interested in generation of bright quantum light (or bright twin beams) with a four-wave mixing process in an atomic medium, and then its use in various quantum protocols and quantum metrology applications. 

Event Details

Select a date to view events.