Rate My Professor Jevon Longdell

Associate Professor Jevon Longdell serves in the Department of Physics at the University of Otago, having joined the institution in 2007 as a lecturer after completing postdoctoral research at the CSIRO and the Australian National University. His academic journey began with undergraduate studies at the University of Waikato, followed by a Master of Science degree from the University of Auckland, and culminated in a PhD from the Australian National University. As the leader of the Quantum Optics research group, Longdell investigates the interactions between light and defects or impurities in solids, with a particular emphasis on rare-earth-ion dopants. These materials offer promising alternatives to trapped atomic systems for applications in quantum information processing. Beyond quantum technologies, his work extends to practical applications such as the optical detection of ultrasound, which holds potential for innovative biomedical imaging techniques. The group's current research encompasses whispering gallery mode resonators, quantum memories, and the generation of entangled light, all leveraging rare-earth-ion doped solids for quantum computing and signal processing optics.

Longdell's contributions to the field of quantum optics have been significant, as evidenced by his publication record, which includes nine articles in Physical Review Letters and two in Nature stemming from studies on rare-earth ions for quantum information. Selected recent works include: "Optically unstable phase from ion-ion interactions in an Erbium-doped crystal" (Physical Review Letters, 2021, with Y.-H. Chen et al.); "Theory of microwave-optical conversion using rare-earth-ion dopants" (Physical Review A, 2020, with P. S. Barnett); "Ultrastrong coupling between a microwave resonator and antiferromagnetic resonances of rare-earth ion spins" (Physical Review B, 2020, with J. R. Everts et al.); "Long spin coherence times in the ground state and in an optically excited state of 167Er3+:Y2SiO5 at zero magnetic field" (Physical Review B, 2020, with J. V. Rakonjac et al.); and "Extending phenomenological crystal-field methods to C1 point-group symmetry: Characterization of the optically excited hyperfine structure of 167Er3+:Y2SiO5" (Physical Review Letters, 2019, with S. P. Horvath et al.). Furthermore, Longdell holds the position of Science Lead for Quantum Technologies Aotearoa (QTA) and serves as a Principal Investigator at the Dodd-Walls Centre for Photonic and Quantum Technologies, having joined the latter in 2015. His media expertise covers quantum computing, cryogenics (distinct from cryonics), and lasers.