Saroj Kanta Patra

Together with sponsor Catalyst Analog Devices, Tyndall celebrates the winners and finalists of the 2019 Postgraduate Publication of the Year .

Dr. Fatima Gunning, Senior Staff Researcher & Acting Head of Graduate Studies at Tyndall, praised the entries, saying: "This was an exceptionally competitive year with outstanding articles and publications in a cross-section of high-impact journals showcasing Tyndall’s research breadth and excellence."

Mike Morrissey, Technology Manager, Analog Devices echoed this:

“The long-term and strategic partnership between Analog Devices and Tyndall provides continuity of innovative research capability as well as access to a diverse and world-class talent pipeline. We are delighted to sponsor the Postgraduate Publication of the Year as it exemplifies the excellent deep-tech research Tyndall is renowned for and is aligned with core technologies of mutual interest for communications, energy, agri-tech and advanced manufacturing”

To help inspire other postgraduate students, both in Tyndall and those around the globe, we decided to profile this generation's future research leaders.

Saroj Kanta Patra

Winner

What encouraged you to submit your application to Postgraduate Publication of the Year?
The award is not only prestigious but also a very good addition to your CV. It is always nice to see your efforts rewarded. Additionally, thanks to our sponsor (Analog Devices), a financial value was also involved in the competition. All these factors encouraged me to submit the application.
What inspired you to choose the subject of your paper?
In Satya Nadella’s (CEO of Microsoft) words, quantum technology is one of the three emerging technologies which will radically reshape the world and has potential applications in banking, security, science and medicine sectors. Over the years, there have been significant developments in both experimental and theoretical aspects in this area. However, many challenging problems remain. This paper addresses one such problem. Additionally, since this area is actively pursued by many industries of the world, having gained necessary research skills might help become employable in industry.
What’s your paper about and how did you prepare for it? What role did research excellence play in your approach?
Very recently, novel non-classical light emitters, so-called twin-photon sources, have been proposed which has potential applications in quantum optical spectroscopy and quantum biology. From literature surveys, we found that all studies on twin photon generation have utilized arsenide quantum dots (QDs). However, nitride-based QD systems have attracted significant interest given that they allow light emission near room temperature which is inaccessible for arsenide dots. Therefore, it is key to understand the potential of these dots for twin-photon emission. The paper addresses this question in the framework of atomistic electronic structure theory. Our calculations reveal that these dots have a very different excitonic structure when compared to conventional arsenide dots and are good candidates for twin-photon emission irrespective of structural variations. My approach mainly involved defining the problem, comprehending and processing large quantities of data aswell as implementing a solution by identifying available resources.
The selection for Postgraduate Publication of the Year is extremely competitive. What is your advice for those aspiring for nomination next year?
My advice would be to equally focus on the significance of the paper for a wider research community, the impact of the journal in terms of readership and citation (impact factor), and novelty of the work involved. For instance, if the results from the paper trigger a new research activity in certain areas, that should also be pointed out. I had written three small paragraphs explaining each of these aspects in my application.
What is the single most significant support Tyndall has been able to offer you in achieving your research goals?
First, I would like to thank my supervisors Stefan Schulz and Eoin O’ Reilly for their constant support and encouragement during the work. Their expertise made my work simpler. In terms of resources, the work involved the calculation of electronic structure in quantum dots having multi-million atoms and therefore required significant computational resources. Tyndall is well equipped with state-of-the-art computational facilities, which turned out to be an invaluable resource for carrying out the task.

Research Publication Link

“Exploring the Potential of c‑Plane Indium Gallium Nitride Quantum Dots for Twin-Photon Emission”, Saroj Kanta Patra and Stefan Schulz, ACS Nanoletters 2020, 20, 234−241.