Caspar van der Wal

Prof. Caspar van der Wal is a Professor in Physics of Quantum Devices at the Physics of Nanodevices Group within the Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, University of Groningen, Netherlands. His research focuses on quantum coherent dynamics of electron and nuclear spin ensembles in semiconductor devices, with applications in quantum information technology and spintronics. He obtained his PhD in 2001 from Delft University of Technology, followed by a postdoc at Harvard University.

• PhD: Delft University of Technology (Quantum Superpositions of Persistent Josephson Currents)
• Postdoc: Harvard University (Quantum Optics with Atomic Vapors)

His experimental work combines quantum optical methods and electron transport techniques to study spin dynamics in materials like GaAs, SiC, 2D materials, and hybrid systems. Current projects include quantum state transfer between spin states and optical pulses, and exploring telecom-ready spin centers in SiC.

Recent publications highlight his team's work on ultrafast spin manipulation in semiconductors, long-lived spin relaxation times in color centers, and symmetry-controlled spin phenomena in 2D materials. The 15 most recent articles (2024-2019) cover topics from 2D heterostructures to quantum coherence in defect systems.

Scientific Distinctions:

• NWO-Vidi Grant (2005)
• ERC Starting Grant (2011)
• Education Prize (2012)
• Teacher of the Year (2015)

He contributed to education in Physics, Applied Physics, and the Top Master in Nanoscience program. In 2016-2022, he served as Scientific Director of the Zernike Institute. His team maintains an active website at quantumdevices.nl for real-time updates on research and publications.