About
QSUM - Quantum Sensing & Ultracold Matter Laboratory
Our lab takes advantage of existing infrastructure at UNB to realize several new experiments with laser-cooled atoms. Our research focusses on both fundamental and applied aspects of quantum sensors based on matter-wave interferometry, including:
ultra-stable laser systems
novel atomic diffraction techniques
real-time quantum control
high-accuracy gravimeters and magnetometers
multi-axis inertial sensing
positioning, navigation, and timing
Working with cold-atom-based instruments presents several unique opportunities for students to learn modern techniques in both engineering and experimental physics.
Some examples include designing modern laser systems, developing low-noise electronics, assembling ultra-high vacuum systems, constructing opto-mechanical hardware, writing instrument control and data acquisition software, advanced image analysis, and numerical modelling of quantum phenomena.
Group Leader
After almost a decade working in France with leading experts in cold atoms, quantum sensing, and inertial navigation, Prof. Brynle (Brinley) Barrett joined the UNB physics department and established the QSUM lab in 2021.
Originally from Halifax, Nova Scotia, he received his BSc in Physics & Mathematics from Saint Mary’s University in 2005. He then moved to Toronto for his PhD studies at York University in the group of A. Kumarakrishnan, where he focussed on precision measurements with atom interferometry. In 2012, he joined the group of Philippe Bouyer and Baptiste Battelier at LP2N in Bordeaux. As a post-doc, he worked primarily on the ICE experiment where he helped realize the first tests of the Einstein’s equivalence principle with cold atoms in microgravity. In 2015, he joined the French tech company iXblue (now Exail) — experts in optical gyroscopes, photonic components, and inertial navigation. There, he led the development of the first three-axis quantum accelerometer in collaboration with LP2N, and co-wrote several patents on quantum technologies.
For a full list of publications, visit Google Scholar or Research Gate.
Outside the lab, Brynle can be found playing ultimate frisbee, dabbling on the drums, or chasing after his two young boys!
