🎉New FNP Grant for Quantum Imaging Lab!

We are thrilled to announce that the Quantum Imaging Lab at the Faculty of Physics, University of Warsaw has been awarded a prestigious research grant under the First TEAM FENG program from the Foundation for Polish Science (FNP).

The project, titled „Przestrzenno-czasowe kształtowanie światła i kamery liczące fotony dla mikroskopii” (eng. “Spatiotemporal light beam shaping and single-photon cameras for microscopy”), aims to push the boundaries of current 3D fluorescence imaging technologies. While recent advances in super-resolution microscopy have overcome traditional diffraction limits, many laboratories still rely on standard methods such as confocal or two-photon microscopy due to their accessibility and versatility.

Our research will focus on enhancing these widely used techniques by integrating single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) arrays with advanced spatiotemporal beam shaping methods. This innovative combination—never before applied in microscopy—has the potential to unlock new capabilities in biological imaging. In collaboration with Fluence, we will also explore the use of temporal focusing of femtosecond laser pulses for applications in precise material processing.

The project will run from September 2024 to August 2028.

We thank the Foundation for Polish Science for their support and are excited to begin this new chapter of cutting-edge research!

First Team Foundation for Polish Science

Up until recently quantum optical effects in imaging were regarded as a peculiarity. New developments in photon detection technology changed this situation. In Quantum Imaging Lab at the University of Warsaw we will develop new tools and methods for detecting photons with high spatial and temporal resolution. These tools will enable us to extract useful information from light more efficiently, which is crucial for applications where the number of detected photons is the limiting factor (in our case fluorescence microscopy and low light holography).

THE GOAL OF THE PROJECT: demonstrate that by measuring light correlations, rather than light intensity, we can break the limitations of standard imaging.

EXPECTED OUTCOMES OF THE PROJECT: new imaging techniques based on light intensity correlations, including super-resolution fluorescence microscopy and digital holography (phase imaging).

TOTAL BUDGET OF THE PROJECT:             5 136 663.95 PLN

EU CONTRIBUTION:                                        5 136 663.95 PLN

The work is carried out within the project “Spatiotemporal photon correlation measurements for quantum metrology and super-resolution microscopy” funded by the First Team program of the Foundation for Polish Science.

Team

Radek Łapkiewicz (group leader)

Konstantin Rusakov (scientific-technical specialist)

Sanjukta Kundu (PhD student)

Alexander Krupiński-Ptaszek (student)

Stanisław Kurdziałek (student)

Adrian Makowski (student)

Wiktor Szadowiak (student)

Jerzy Szuniewicz (student)

Aleksandra Środa (student)

Partner in the project:

Professor Yaron Silberberg

Weizmann Institute of Science