James Williams

I am a graduate student at Caltech studying electrical engineering. My research focuses on ultrafast nonlinear photonics for quantum communications, sensing, and computation.  I also work on photonic computing and integrated photonics. 

Quantum information can be used to gain an advantage over purely classical methods in a variety of fields. Entanglement and the uncertainty principle can enable probably-secure methods of communication. Squeezed light is employed by LIGO to search the universe for cataclysmic cosmic events . Nonlinear optics provides a convenient room-temperature platform for exploring and engineering quantum information encoded in propagating light. I use thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN), a nanophotonic nonlinear platform, to generate, manipulate, and measure quantum states of interest. TFLN waveguides can be designed to achieve low dispersion parameters across a broad bandwidth, enabling fs-timescale pulse operation for clock speeds exceeding 1 THz. I design, fabricate, and characterize these devices using the Kavli Nanoscience Institute facilities as well as our ultrafast optics lab.

I'm active in a variety of on-campus activities including the Electrical Engineering Local Student Committee (EELSC), the Caltech Optica Student Chapter, Caltech's PRISM club, and Caltech Graduate Students and Postdocs United (CGPU-UAW).