He is Jacob Ngaha, a postdoc at the HEISINGBERG project with Fabrice Laussy

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His name is Jacob Ngaha, and he is from New Zealand, "the exact antipode of Spain!." He is a theoretical physicist with a focus on quantum optics and nonlinear dynamics, and now is part of the Novel Platforms and Nano-devices for Quantum Simulation and Computation Group, where he is working on the HEISINGBERG project with Fabrice Laussy. Previously, he had a postdoc at the University of Auckland, which is on the North Island of New Zealand. Meet him:

What have you worked on so far?

My main expertise is in fundamental quantum optics, with a particular focus on photon correlations in cavity-QED systems. My previous postdoc, however, was in nonlinear dynamical systems, where I studied the effect of arbitrary perturbations on pulsing cycles in lasers.

What will you work on? With whom?

I am working with Fabrice Laussy as part of the HEISINGBERG project: "Spatial Quantum Optical Annealer for Spin Hamiltonians". Our aim is to understand multi-photon detections in spacetime, to further understand the characteristics of a spatial photon Ising machine.

Why ICMM?

The type of work I am doing here is exactly in my area of interest, and I was very excited by the opportunity to move to Madrid.

And a personal touch: any hobbies?

I love to read, have been practising karate since childhood, and I am also an avid knitter.

What would you like to contribute to the institute?

I am of course looking forward to contributing to the research, but I would also like to showcase a bit of Antipodean and Måori culture.