I'm a partner in a small furniture family business. A few years ago, I had solar panels installed on the roof of the building that we use as factory and warehouse. It was a big investment, but now I save a lot of money when it comes to paying my company's electricity bills. Plus, a choice like this is beneficial to the planet, too!

A few days ago, I saw my two-years-old daughter trying (unsuccessfully) to slide the page of a newspaper with her finger. For a person like her, who was born in a world where there are screens everywhere, even on the fridge, it is natural to think of being able to interact with any surface or written word. This would not be possible if in recent years the screens had not improved so much, gaining in definition and functionality. Who could have imagined being able to interact so intuitively with a machine a few decades ago?

Living in a mountain village with few shops, I usually buy everything I need online. However, there are many people in the village, including my grandmother, who would rather spend more than one hour in the car to the nearest city than leave their data on the internet, because they are afraid of cyberattacks.

Although this is a serious danger, I’m not worried, because I read that there are also many people who are studying new ways to improve the security of our communications, and it seems that the most promising techniques have to do with the exotic properties of quantum physics!

Diversity is a key element to find creative and original solutions to problems: this is why diversity is an important asset for a scientific research center. At ICFO, there are people of more than 60 nationalities with diverse backgrounds (there are people who studied physics, chemistry, engineering, biology, neuroscience, mathematics, computer science, ...): with this mixture of cultures, languages and experiences it is easier to create an open and tolerant environment where new ideas can thrive and grow.

Quantum physics describes the world at the atomic and molecular scale: in recent years, the scientific community has learned to take advantage of phenomena that appear at the microscopic scale to create new technologies.

Quantum technologies are expected to improve the way some physical systems are studied, the security of our communications, the computational speed of computers, and the sensitivity of sensors.

With more than half of its groups working in these fields, ICFO joins its efforts with other research centers and companies that are actively involved in local (QuantumCAT) and international (European Quantum Flagship) networks that aim to accelerate the arrival of these technologies within the reach of society.

New emergent quantum technologies are promising to revolutionize the world of information and communications: to make the most of this potential, the European Union is planning to build an infrastructure for quantum communications, which would connect quantum devices, becoming a quantum internet. This infrastructure will take advantage of the current optical fiber network for short and medium distance connections and will combine with satellites to cover the longest distances. Thus, thanks to quantum physics, the most sensitive data such as personal, financial, governmental as well as the electricity grid, air control, or healthcare system will be protected.

Photo: Clouds of cold atoms inside one of the ICFO laboratories

A well-focused photon beam can trap objects and move them in a delicate and precise way: this is not science fiction, but an extremely useful and versatile photonic technique that earned its inventor the Nobel Prize.

You can find optical tweezers in various ICFO laboratories in different areas of application: for example, they are used to trap atoms in order to better understand their properties, to measure the mobility and elasticity of some cells or to study small objects on the border between quantum and classical physics.

(Foto: Optical tweezers in one of the ICFO laboratories)

In order to express critical opinions about the news that we receive through the media outlets, advertising, social media... and avoid falling into scams or misunderstandings, it is important to keep up-to-date about the latest news in science and technology. Sometimes, however, the information comes from pseudoscientific sources of dubious reliability.

How do we handle this often questionable flow of information?

In the 1960s, most futuristic representations for the years around 2000 included flying cars. Now, more than twenty years later, our expectations for the future have changed quite a bit.

Does it make sense to listen to someone who promises that their field of study will bring us the technology of the future? Can we really make predictions about the future of science and technology?

The pandemic that arose in 2020 taught us that public health is an important sector that affects many more aspects of society. A tiny virus can affect the lives of millions of people in all its aspects, not only health, but also the economy, industrial structure, labor market ...

That’s why it’s important to focus most of our efforts on research projects that can improve and care for people’s health.

We live in the information age. More and more companies and institutions are collecting and analyzing large amounts of data to improve industrial processes and services for the population. In addition, digital technologies are essential to communicate with each other, whether for work or fun. If information systems fail, strategic structures such as energy networks, traffic control, hospitals, governments, etc. fail, too. Thus, ensuring data security for quick and massive data transfer is of fundamental importance for a digitized society like ours.

That is why it is important to focus most of our efforts on research projects that can improve data collection, analysis, transmission and security.

We are in the middle of a climate emergency: to be able to solve it we need new environmental policies and the commitment of society as a whole. Science and technology can accelerate the change of paradigm that we need to save the planet with discoveries and innovative technologies. If we do nothing now, the Earth will be uninhabitable and unsustainable, but there’s still time.

That’s why it’s important to focus most of our efforts on research projects that can help us take care of our planet.

Photonics is everywhere and has a positive impact in many different aspects of our lives. Sometimes, the same technology (such as the laser) can improve health, information and care for the environment at the same time. There are many global issues and it is difficult to set a priority, especially because they are interconnected.

That’s why it’s important not to focus our efforts on a single field of application: it’s better to diversify our efforts to have more chances of success.