The UK’s first OptiCool system has been recently installed at NPL by Quantum Design UK and Ireland. This cryogen-free magneto-optical cryostat is the newest addition to the NPL’s quantum capabilities, which offer a wide variety of standard and bespoke nano-optical (such as scattering-type scanning nearfield optical microscopy, s-SNOM) and magneto-optical facilities.
The combined capabilities allow an array of light-enabled measurement techniques and at extreme conditions for pure and applied research of quantum matter and devices.
This new capability underpins next-gen quantum technologies and also contributes to other critical technologies such as semiconductors, future telecoms, engineering biology, and AI.
Dr Myunglae Jo, Assistant Professor, Kyungpook National University (South Korea), said, “As a researcher focusing on quantum electronic devices, I am thrilled about the installation of the OptiCool system at NPL. This state-of-the-art magneto-optical cryostat presents an exciting opportunity to explore the impact of optical stimuli on edge states in quantum Hall system – an area that has been challenging to study with traditional cryostats. The ability to perform transport measurements under optical access will enable novel investigations and expand our understanding of quantum matter. I look forward to leveraging this unique capability in collaboration with the NPL team to drive groundbreaking research in this field.”
