Join us
Help us build two experiments from the ground up
IMJ Institute of Research is a young laboratory in Moodalkatte, Kundapura. Our research follows two long-term ideas: a quantum computer made of trapped calcium ions, and experiments in which electrons meet their antimatter partners, positrons. Both are at an early stage. The foundations are in place, and we are now building the next pieces. If you want to learn by building real apparatus, this is a good time to join.
Where we start from
What the lab already has
Ultra-high vacuum facility
A custom UHV chamber with electrical feedthroughs, turbomolecular and rotary vane pumps, full-range vacuum gauges and leak-testing equipment. This is the base on which both experiments are built.
A working Penning trap
We trap electrons and detect them in two ways: by dumping them on a microchannel plate, and without disturbing them using a helical resonator. Results reported at the DAE Symposium on Nuclear Physics (2025). We work in strong collaboration with VECC, Kolkata.
Lab electronics and instruments
Digital storage oscilloscopes, high-voltage DC supplies, RF signal generation and amplification, an optics bench with optomechanics, and acousto-optic modulators for switching and shifting laser light.
Research direction 1 · long-term
A quantum computer made of calcium ions
The idea: hold a short chain of calcium ions (⁴⁰Ca⁺) in vacuum with oscillating electric fields, cool them with laser light until they almost stop moving, and use each ion as a qubit. Lasers then write, change and read the qubits. Trapped ions are among the most precise qubits known, and the whole machine can be built in a small lab.
We have worked out the trap: a linear Paul trap of about 1 mm radius, driven at 20–30 MHz with 1–1.5 kV, and an RF drive that uses a helical resonator to reach that voltage. Under the Q-Pragathi project we are now building a 3D microfabricated version of the trap.
Now building: the lasers
A calcium-ion quantum computer needs six lasers, each tuned to a different colour. Most only need to be steady to about a megahertz. The qubit laser at 729 nm is the hard one: its colour must stay steady to a few hertz, roughly a million times better, because any jitter scrambles the qubit. Making such a narrow-linewidth laser means locking it to a very stable optical reference and isolating it from vibration and temperature changes. That is one of the long-term goals of the lab.
| Laser | What it does | How steady it must be |
|---|---|---|
| 423 nm | Ionises calcium atoms, step 1 (building now) | 1–5 MHz |
| ~390 nm | Ionises calcium atoms, step 2 (building now) | not critical |
| 397 nm | Laser-cools the ions; makes them glow | 1–5 MHz |
| 866 nm | Brings ions back into the cooling cycle | 1–10 MHz |
| 729 nm | Writes and changes the qubit | 1–10 Hz |
| 854 nm | Resets the qubit | 1–5 MHz |
We have already characterised an acousto-optic modulator setup (with help from the Raman Research Institute) for shifting and switching these beams.
- In placeUHV facility, trap design and simulations, RF drive design, optics bench and modulators
- Building now423 nm and 390 nm photoionisation lasers; the 3D microfabricated trap; RF electronics; ion detection optics
- NextCooling and repump lasers, first trapped and glowing calcium ions, then the narrow-linewidth 729 nm qubit laser
Research direction 2 · long-term
Matter meets antimatter: electrons and positrons
The idea: hold electrons and their antimatter twins, positrons, in the same trap and study how they interact. The two have exactly the same mass and opposite charge, which makes them the simplest matter–antimatter pair there is. Later, we want to let them bind into positronium, a short-lived atom made of one electron and one positron, and study its formation and decay. Experiments like these are a route towards antihydrogen physics and are done today at places like CERN.
We start from strength: our Penning trap already holds electrons, and we can detect them without disturbing them. We are now moving towards positrons.
- In placePenning trap for electrons, with destructive (microchannel plate) and non-destructive (helical resonator) detection, and a strong collaboration with VECC, Kolkata
- Moving toPositrons: a sodium-22 source with a tungsten moderator to slow them, a nested Penning trap with permanent magnets to hold electrons and positrons side by side, and non-destructive detection of the positrons
- Long termPositronium formation, annihilation studies and Rydberg positronium, planned with European partners
Holding electrons and positrons together in one trap, checked without destroying them, has to our knowledge not yet been done in an Indian laboratory.
Work with us
How to join
We take project consultants, interns and project students from physics, electronics and engineering backgrounds. You will work with your hands: vacuum, lasers, optics, RF electronics, simulations and data. No prior experience with traps or lasers is needed, only curiosity and the will to build carefully.
Open now: four paid Q-Pragathi positions, from ₹10,000 to ₹30,000 a month. Apply by 10 November 2026; interviews on 12 November.