Professor Pieter Kok

Department of Physics and Astronomy

Deputy Head of Department

Professor of Theoretical Physics

Professor Pieter Kok
Profile picture of Professor Pieter Kok
p.kok@sheffield.ac.uk
+44 114 22 23538

Full contact details

Professor Pieter Kok
Department of Physics and Astronomy
E12a
Hicks Building
Hounsfield Road
Sheffield
S3 7RH
Profile

My research is in theoretical optical quantum information processing. I am interested in physical architectures and applications for optical quantum devices: How can we use quantum light for practical quantum communication, metrology, imaging, and computing.

Departmental administration

  • Deputy Head of Department from September 2022
  • Head of First Year Physics (2012-present)
  • Member of Teaching Committee and Research Committee
Qualifications
  • Physics degree, University of Utrecht, the Netherlands (1991-1997)
  • Physics PhD, University of Wales, Bangor (1998-2001)

Academic career

  • NRC Research Fellow, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena CA (2001-2003)
  • Research Fellow, Hewlett-Packard Labs, Bristol (2003-2005)
  • Research Fellow, University of Oxford (2005-2007)
  • Lecturer, University of Sheffield (2007-present)
Research interests

Any practical distributed, long-distance quantum technology—such as the quantum Internet—will most likely involve light as a quantum information carrier. It is therefore important to understand the capabilities and limitations of photons as quantum bits.

Broadly speaking, my research falls into three categories:

  • linear optical quantum computing
  • hybrid quantum computing with light and matter qubits
  • quantum metrology
Publications

Show: Featured publications All publications

Journal articles

All publications

Books

Journal articles

Conference proceedings papers

Preprints

  • Callus E & Kok P (2022) Spin-augmented observables for efficient photonic quantum error correction, arXiv. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Callus E & Kok P (2021) Cumulative generation of maximal entanglement between spectrally distinct qubits using squeezed light, arXiv. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Sidhu JS, Ouyang Y, Campbell ET & Kok P (2019) Tight bounds on the simultaneous estimation of incompatible parameters, arXiv. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Hurst DL, Price DM, Bentham C, Makhonin MN, Royall B, Clarke E, Kok P, Wilson LR, Skolnick MS & Fox AM (2018) Non-Reciprocal Transmission and Reflection of a Chirally-Coupled Quantum Dot, arXiv. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Hallett D, Foster AP, Hurst DL, Royall B, Kok P, Clarke E, Itskevich IE, Fox AM, Skolnick MS & Wilson LR (2017) Electrical control of nonlinear quantum optics in a nano-photonic waveguide, arXiv. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Cao S, Kok P, Li P, Maiden AM & Rodenburg JM (2016) Modal decomposition of a propagating matter wave via electron ptychography, arXiv. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Coles RJ, Price DM, Dixon JE, Royall B, Clarke E, Fox AM, Kok P, Skolnick MS & Makhonin MN (2015) Chirality of nanophotonic waveguide with embedded quantum emitter for unidirectional spin transfer, arXiv. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Pérez-Delgado CA, Pearce ME & Kok P (2012) Fundamental Limits of Classical and Quantum Imaging. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Zwierz M, Pérez-Delgado CA & Kok P (2012) Ultimate limits to quantum metrology and the meaning of the Heisenberg limit. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Hosler D, van de Bruck C & Kok P (2011) Information gap for classical and quantum communication in a Schwarzschild spacetime, arXiv. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Zwierz M, Pérez-Delgado CA & Kok P (2010) Unifying parameter estimation and the Deutsch-Jozsa algorithm for continuous variables. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Zwierz M, Perez-Delgado CA & Kok P (2010) General optimality of the Heisenberg limit for quantum metrology. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Zwierz M, Perez-Delgado CA & Kok P (2010) Optimality of the Heisenberg limit for continuous-variable quantum metrology. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Perez-Delgado CA & Kok P (2009) What is a quantum computer, and how do we build one?. RIS download Bibtex download
Grants
  • Large Baseline Quantum-Enhanced Imaging Networks, EPSRC £441k (2021-2024, PI)
  • Quantum and Many Body Physics Enabled by Advanced Semiconductor Nanotechnology, EPSRC £7.7M (2021-2026, Co-I)
  • Quantum communications Hub, EPSRC £400k (2019-2024, PI)
  • Semiconductor Quantum Photonics, EPSRC £5.6M (2016-2021, CoI)
  • Quantum Communication, EPSRC QT Hub, £500K (2015-2019, PI)
  • Semiconductor Integrated Quantum Optical Circuits , EPSRC £5M (20012-2017, Co-I)
Teaching activities

Undergraduate taught modules (current)

  • PHY381 Advanced Electrodynamics
  • PHY472 Advanced Quantum Mechanics

Undergraduate projects

  • PHY391 Quantum Information Labs (with Luke Wilson)
  • PHY340/341 Physics Project
  • PHY480 Research project
Professional activities and memberships
  • Deputy Head of Department (Sep 2022-present)
  • Associate Editor for the AIP journal AVS Quantum Science, (2019–present)
  • Chair EPSRC Prioritisation Panel for Quantum Technologies (January 2022)
  • Member of the Editorial Board of Physical Review A
  • External examiner for Physics at Loughborough University (2014-present)

Public engagement