The Institute of Optics (IO) is an academic division in the Department of Physics at Zhejiang University, and is led by a Chinese Academy member, Prof. Shi-Yao Zhu. The main research directions in IO include:

1.   Quantum optics and quantum information. Quantum optics provides a useful tool to understand the interaction between photons and atoms. We study the quantum nature of photons such as squeezing and entanglement and their application in quantum metrology. By dressing atoms with multiple lasers or cavity fields, we construct artificial lattices based on which topological physics can be simulated and utilized in quantum information processing. The physical systems that we are investigating includes atomic vapors, superconducting circuits, etc.

2.   Cold atoms and precise measurement. Ultracold atoms have the advantage that all the degrees of freedom can be precisely controlled. Combined with novel optical lattices, they provide a unique platform to study quantum simulation. Laser cooling of polar molecules is a new direction in this field. We are developing techniques to explore new phases in ultracold molecules. These highly developed techniques provide opportunities to precisely measure gravity, magnetic field and etc.

3.     Coherent control of light field. The IO has a strong tradition in the study of classical optics, such as matrix optics and optical metrology. With the development of modern optics, we can precisely control all the degrees of freedom of light, such as the coherence, polarization, optical angular momentum, and so on. Surface plasmon polaritons provide a new tool to manipulate light in nano-scale devices.

4.   Cavity Quantum Electrodynamics (QED). Cavity QED becomes implementable on different solid-state systems, owing to the advancements in quantum technologies. The IO pays considerable efforts to this new direction of research and manages to explore various quantum phenomena, including cavity QED with ferromagnetic magnons, ultrastrong coupling in circuit QED, cavity magnomechanics, and quantum phase transition.

The Institute of Optics has won many prizes from the Chinese Central Government and the Zhejiang Provincial Government, including The National Natural Science Prize, National Invention Prize, National Science and Technology Advancement Prize, and more than 10 Provincial Scientific Prizes.