Cristian Bonato

Our research focuses on harnessing individual spins in semiconducting materials to develop quantum technologies for secure communication and nanoscale sensing. Our goal is to enhance the capabilities of quantum spintronic devices by integrating spins with different functionalities (micro-electronics, integrated photonics, advanced signal processing and machine learning). We expect our devices to find applications in high-resolution nanoscale magnetic sensing, pushing magnetic resonance detection down to the level of individual nuclear spins, and in exteding the range of secure quantum communication networks through the development of quantum repeaters.

This research includes three major themes:

1 - Spin-based semiconductor quantum devices (more information here). We develop quantum devices in silicon carbide (SiC), a semiconductor widely used in power electronics, that uniquely combines excellent spintronic, electronic and photonic functionalities. A perspective on the development of SiC devices for secure quantum communication can be found in this work we co-authored with several European partners.

2 - Quantum sensing (more information here). We develop single-spin quantum sensors and deploy them to investigate interesting condensed matter physics, surface science and biology problems. We manage Heriot-Watt's "Nanoscale Quantum Sensing" facility, which includes a low-temperature scanning spin-based quantum sensor. A roadmap towards the development of nanoscale magnetic resonance imaging can be found here.

3 - Learning quantum systems (more information here). We develop algorithms, utilising a variety of statistical tools such as Bayesian inference, neural networks, graybox models, to automate the extraction of physical models from experimental data in a reliable, robust, and interpretable form. This is an important challenge for both fundamental scientific discoveries and technological applications, for example to propose explanations for experimental data and suggest alternative interpretations that researchers may have not have originally envisioned. You can read our (partial) review on this very wide topic here. 

Cristian Bonato is a Professor at Heriot-Watt University, where he leads the "Spin-based quantum technology" theme within the Quantum Photonics Laboratory. He currently holds an EPSRC Early-Career fellowship (2019-2024) and is the Principal Investigator for Heriot-Watt's Nanoscale Quantum Sensing facility.

Born near Venice (Italy), he has been awarded a MSc in Physics (2004) and a PhD in Electrical Engineering (2008), both from the University of Padova (Italy), for work on quantum communication and photonic entanglement. Between 2006-2008, he has been a visiting researcher at Boston University, USA (Sasha Sergienko's group). Before joining Heriot-Watt University as Assistant Professor in 2016, he has worked as a post-doctoral researcher in the Netherlands on semiconductor cavity-QED (Leiden University, Dirk Bouwmesteer's group) and on spin control with nitrogen vacancy centres in diamond (Technical University Delft, Ronald Hanson's group).