Nicholas Arnaud – Mars Foundation Scholar
1st Year Scholar, PhD candidate

Electrical Engineering
University of Virginia

Research:
My research involves designing, testing, and integrating a low noise on-chip circuit for use in detecting extremely faint optical signals. In essence, my circuit converts a weak laser signal into a tangible voltage signal. My work is specifically tuned to aid in quantum optics measurements, yet has broader applications to communication systems and sensing as a whole.

How Will Your Research Benefit Society?

My research will help push the envelope of photonic integrated circuits by improving the fidelity and reducing the size of photonic integrated circuits – taking quantum optics out of labs and onto chips. At its most fundamental level, my research will benefit society through scientific advancement; allowing for more accessible data for astrophysical and quantum optics experiments. At the very least, my research will aid LIGO in their gravitational wave detection.

How will an ARCS Award Benefit Your Research?

Receiving the ARCS award would serve as validation of my current research direction and motivate me to set even higher impact goals. Through the exposure and recognition that comes with this award, I hope to make connections with researchers and mentors outside of my lab to spark collaborations on future interdisciplinary projects.

Career objectives:

As a first-year PhD student in Electrical Engineering, my long-term goal is to advance the development of technologies at the intersection of electronics and photonics to develop high-performance, scalable solutions for sensing, communication, and quantum systems. I envision myself joining the industry or start-up environment where I can translate my experience from academic research to real-world applications.