Secure online communication and browsing with full privacy? Those are two of the promises of a future Quantum Internet. To go from existing rudimentary networks to a full-fledged Quantum Internet requires significant progress on both the hardware and software. The main challenge is scaling up these first-generation lab-based networks. How do we build robust quantum nodes that host multiple qubits? How do we reliably and at a fast rate generate connections between network nodes? How do we integrate more complex quantum protocols?

In the Hermans lab, we focus on the hardware of quantum networks. In our lab, we develop quantum nodes based on rare-earth ions (REIs) doped in host crystals. Because of their internal atomic structure, REIs are a promising type of qubit, with long coherence times and emission in the visible and near-infrared spectrum. Using this system, we perform ambitious physics experiments with applications for quantum networks.