What
factors or circumstances led you to your work?
Physics is fascinating because of the intellectual excitement it
provides and because of the applications it offers. In the Group of
Applied Physics (GAP) at Geneva University we get our inspiration
from both of these motivations. Optics, in this respect, has a
privileged place. Indeed, in modern optics, experiments and theory
progress hand-in-hand, and practical applications are close behind.
Consequently, we can work both on conceptual issues and on
applications. Our activities divide into four branches: optical 
telecommunications and instrumentation, optical sensors, quantum
effects and their development in optical fibers and the sale of
prototypes. The key word common to all these activities is optical
fibers. Our developments in instrumentation led to several
industrial products, often first sold as University prototypes, then
transferred to the industry. This activity also led to a spin-off
company, GAP-Optique SA, founded in 1994 and still active in the
commercialization of fiber-based instruments. The work on quantum
optics is closer to traditional university research. It led to
numerous publications, to patents, and also to some prototypes like
Quantum random number generators, chromatic dispersion measurement
apparatuses, etc.
What
are your immediate and long-term research goals?
Quantum physics is in an especially interesting phase. Until
recently, the conceptual difficulties were considered of limited
importance, since they had no practical effects. This led John Bell
to his famous declaration: QM is fine FAPP (For All Practical
Purposes)! But today technology and the discovery of the power of
quantum information processing have dramatically changed the
picture. Today, conceptual questions have potential applications,
and technological breakthroughs open the way to new fundamental
tests of the theory. My goal is to be an active player in this
exciting dialog between fundamental and applied physics.
What
are the social implications of your work, if any?
In today’s information-based society, optical fibers and
cryptography are key words. My work contributes thus to these
aspects of our society. I consider it also my duty to share my
excitement about research with the "grand public."
What
tools or technological advances have been important in your research,
if any?
Fiber optics, and more generally optical communication systems,
have undoubtedly been the major technological tools which enabled me
to perform my work.
Did
you expect your work to become highly cited, or is this surprising to
you?
This is a big surprise! When I look back 10 or 20 years ago, my
papers were barely cited, if at all.
How
rapidly has the state of our knowledge about your field evolved in the
past decade, and what were the key discoveries that furthered the
advancement of the field?
The evolution of the field of quantum information is so fast that
it is almost a revolution. Before this, I also lived the "fiber
optic revolution." I am really especially lucky!
What
is your prediction for the state of our knowledge about your field 10
years from now?
New surprises in quantum physics! This is almost certain.
Prof. Nicolas Gisin, Ph.D.
Group of Applied Physics—Optics
Department of Physics
University of Geneva
Geneva, Switzerland
n
this interview, Professor Nicolas Gisin talks about his highly
cited work in the field of cryptography. In our Special Topics
analysis of cryptography, 17 of Prof. Gisin’s papers have
been cited a total of 253 times, ranking him at #3 among
cryptography researchers in the past decade. Prof. Gisin is
the Group Leader for the Optics division of the Group of
Applied Physics at the University of Geneva, Switzerland.