Roberto Morandotti, a physicist at INRS, just hit a pretty big milestone. He’s now the first Canadian to snag Optica’s Max Born Award.
This honor shines a light on his contributions to physical optics—think integrated quantum photonics, nonlinear optics, ultrafast lasers, and terahertz (THz) science. It’s another reminder that Canada’s making waves in photonics research.
A trailblazer in quantum photonics and nonlinear optics
Morandotti’s work keeps stretching what we thought was possible with light. He’s managed the first on‑chip generation of complex quantum light states—that’s a mouthful, but it basically means single photons can now carry more info, which brings us closer to secure quantum communication that actually works outside the lab.
He also led early experiments with optical solitons in discrete, engineered waveguide structures. Plus, he’s explored photonic systems that mimic deep quantum and wave phenomena—stuff you don’t see every day.
Integrated quantum photonics and on-chip light states
Morandotti’s research helped turn integrated quantum photonics from an idea into something real. By making it possible to generate and control complex quantum light states right on a chip, he’s laying the groundwork for scalable quantum information processing and chip-scale networks.
It’s not just theory—these advances could mean secure communication protocols that work at room temperature with hardware you can actually use. Harnessing and routing quantum states on tiny platforms feels like a big step toward next-gen photonics and, maybe, commercial tech you’ll see in the wild.
Solitons, localization, and quantum walks in photonic lattices
His group’s experiments with optical solitons in engineered waveguides opened up new ways to understand light–matter interactions. They’ve also recreated things like Anderson localization, Bloch oscillations, and quantum walks in photonic systems.
These results show how light can be trapped, guided, or even made to act like quantum particles in specially designed spaces. That’s pretty significant for signal processing and unconventional computing approaches.
Terahertz science, ultrafast lasers, and imaging
When it comes to ultrafast photonics, Morandotti built a new laser architecture that delivers stable, tunable pulses. This kind of thing powers optical processors and photonic neural networks—they need that precision for high-speed data crunching and neuromorphic computing.
In terahertz (THz) science, his team rolled out powerful sources, clever waveguides, and milestones like the first THz Faraday isolator and single-shot THz imaging. These tools can capture events on trillionth-of-a-second timescales, which opens up time-resolved spectroscopy, security sensing, and lets us peek at ultrafast changes in materials.
Leadership, mentorship, and institutional impact
Morandotti leads INRS facilities at the heart of light manipulation and photonics research. These include the Ultrahigh Speed Light Manipulation Laboratory and the QUALITY light infrastructure.
He’s built a serious scholarly reputation, with over 64,000 citations and a Tier I Canada Research Chair. He’s a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, Optica, APS, IEEE, and AAAS—a testament to his broad scientific influence.
Morandotti has mentored more than 220 researchers from over 30 countries. Many of his former students now lead research groups or have started photonics companies.
He’s picked up plenty of honors along the way, like the IEEE Quantum Electronics Award, NSERC prizes, the E.W.R. Steacie Fellowship, and some major Quebec scientific awards. That kind of recognition speaks to his drive to push science forward and nurture up-and-coming talent.
- First on-chip generation of complex quantum light states enabling advanced quantum communication
- Optical solitons in discrete waveguides and realization of localization and quantum-walk phenomena
- Ultrafast laser architecture for stable, tunable pulses powering photonic processors
- THz innovations including Faraday isolators and single-shot imaging
- Leadership at INRS and a vast mentoring legacy across 30+ countries
- Global recognition through prominent fellowships and prestigious awards
The Max Born Award highlights not just Morandotti’s achievements, but also the growing influence of Canadian research in physical optics. His work cuts across quantum photonics, nonlinear optics, ultrafast lasers, and THz science—fields that could shape secure communications, optical processors, and the next wave of scientific tools.
Here is the source article for this story: Roberto Morandotti wins prestigious Max Born Award for pioneering research in quantum photonics