Ruffin Evans

I am a graduate student in the Lukin group in the Harvard University Department of Physics. My research focuses on using quantum optics to create new tools for quantum information technology. In particular, I engineer interactions between light and matter using the Silicon-Vacancy (SiV) color center in diamond coupled to nanoscale photonic crystal cavities. I have used this system to demonstrate strong coupling between the SiV center and photons and also photon-mediated interactions between different SiVs. Along the way, I explored the fundamental physics of the SiV center as well as the properties of other color centers in diamond. This work could lead to a new generation of solid state devices for quantum communication and computation.

I graduated in 2011 from the University of Virginia with degrees in Physics and Chemistry. My physics research with Dr. Olivier Pfister extended the experimental scope of Bell inequalities to high-dimensional systems and proposed an optical realization of these high-spin Bell inequalities. In the chemistry department, my research with Dr. Cassandra Fraser focused on design and synthesis of organic luminescent dyes for biomedical imaging and sensing. For this and other work, I was recognized as the top graduating student from the UVa College of Arts and Sciences in 2011.