Mete Atatüre
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Mete Atatüre (born 19 February 1975) is a Turkish physicist working on experimental solid-state
quantum optics Quantum optics is a branch of atomic, molecular, and optical physics and quantum chemistry that studies the behavior of photons (individual quanta of light). It includes the study of the particle-like properties of photons and their interaction ...
, in particular on the optical control of
spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spin (physics) or particle spin, a fundamental property of elementary particles * Spin quantum number, a number which defines the value of a particle's spin * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thr ...
-
photon A photon () is an elementary particle that is a quantum of the electromagnetic field, including electromagnetic radiation such as light and radio waves, and the force carrier for the electromagnetic force. Photons are massless particles that can ...
coupling for
quantum network Quantum networks form an important element of quantum computing and quantum communication systems. Quantum networks facilitate the transmission of information in the form of quantum bits, also called qubits, between physically separated quantum ...
s as well as investigation of
many-body physics The many-body problem is a general name for a vast category of physical problems pertaining to the properties of microscopic systems made of many interacting particles. Terminology ''Microscopic'' here implies that quantum mechanics has to be ...
in atomically-thin heterostructures, with the aim of developing new materials and devices for quantum sensing applications. He currently leads the Quantum Optical Materials and Systems (QOMS) group at the
University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...
, with about 30 PhD students and research staff. He is also a co-founder and CSO of the spin-out ''Nu Quantum'' Ltd. Since October 2023, he is the Head of the
Cavendish Laboratory The Cavendish Laboratory is the Department of Physics at the University of Cambridge, and is part of the School of Physical Sciences. The laboratory was opened in 1874 on the New Museums Site as a laboratory for experimental physics and is named ...
.


Biography

Atatüre was born in
Kayseri Kayseri () is a large List of cities in Turkey, city in Central Anatolia, Turkey, and the capital of Kayseri Province, Kayseri province. Historically known as Caesarea (Mazaca), Caesarea, it has been the historical capital of Cappadocia since anc ...
in 1975 and completed his secondary education at the Gazi Anatolian High School in
Ankara Ankara is the capital city of Turkey and List of national capitals by area, the largest capital by area in the world. Located in the Central Anatolia Region, central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5,290,822 in its urban center ( ...
in 1992 before obtaining a Bachelor of Science degree in 1996 from the
Bilkent University Bilkent University () is a private non-profit research university located in Ankara, Turkey. It was founded by İhsan Doğramacı, the first president of the Council of Higher Education and the head of the prominent Doğramacı family, with th ...
, one of the top institutions in the country. He did his PhD at the
Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. BU was founded in 1839 by a group of Boston Methodism, Methodists with its original campus in Newbury (town), Vermont, Newbur ...
in the United States in the Quantum Imaging Laboratory in 2002. He then moved to become a
postdoctoral researcher A postdoctoral fellow, postdoctoral researcher, or simply postdoc, is a person professionally conducting research after the completion of their doctoral studies (typically a PhD). Postdocs most commonly, but not always, have a temporary acade ...
in the Quantum Photonics Group of
Ataç İmamoğlu Ataç İmamoğlu (born August 12, 1964) is a Turkish-Swiss physicist working on quantum optics and quantum computation. His academic interests are quantum optics, semiconductor physics, and nonlinear optics. Education İmamoğlu graduated from ...
at
ETH Zurich ETH Zurich (; ) is a public university in Zurich, Switzerland. Founded in 1854 with the stated mission to educate engineers and scientists, the university focuses primarily on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. ETH Zurich ran ...
in Switzerland where he received his
Venia legendi Habilitation is the highest university degree, or the procedure by which it is achieved, in Germany, France, Italy, Poland and some other European and non-English-speaking countries. The candidate fulfills a university's set criteria of excellen ...
for conducting long-lasting work on the full control of semiconductor
quantum dots Quantum dots (QDs) or semiconductor nanocrystals are semiconductor particles a few nanometres in size with optical and electronic properties that differ from those of larger particles via quantum mechanical effects. They are a central topic i ...
, including their positioning for cavity QED, the first demonstration of all-optical spin initialization and the first observation of the
Faraday effect The Faraday effect or Faraday rotation, sometimes referred to as the magneto-optic Faraday effect (MOFE), is a physical magneto-optical phenomenon. The Faraday effect causes a polarization rotation which is proportional to the projection of the ...
for a single spin. He joined the
Cavendish Laboratory The Cavendish Laboratory is the Department of Physics at the University of Cambridge, and is part of the School of Physical Sciences. The laboratory was opened in 1874 on the New Museums Site as a laboratory for experimental physics and is named ...
in June 2007 as a University Lecturer and Fellow of Saint John's college and was subsequently promoted to Reader (2011) and full-professorship (2015) before becoming the head of the Cavendish Laboratory (2023). In Cambridge, he has made groundbreaking contributions to quantum optics, including fundamentals of quantum light via
resonance fluorescence Resonance fluorescence is the process in which a two-level atom system interacts with the quantum electromagnetic field if the field is driven at a frequency near to the natural frequency Natural frequency, measured in terms of '' eigenfreque ...
, quantum control of nuclei, diamond-based novel spin-photon interfaces for quantum networks, as well as the design of new functionalities from emerging classes of 2D materials, such as the first atomically-thin quantum
LED A light-emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor device that emits light when current flows through it. Electrons in the semiconductor recombine with electron holes, releasing energy in the form of photons. The color of the light (corresp ...
.


Academic and Social activities

Atatüre is a member of the
Institute of Physics The Institute of Physics (IOP) is a UK-based not-for-profit learned society and professional body that works to advance physics education, physics research, research and applied physics, application. It was founded in 1874 and has a worldwide ...
in England, the Science Academy of Turkey,
Academia Europaea The Academia Europaea is a pan-European Academy of humanities, letters, law, and sciences. The Academia was founded in 1988 as a functioning Europe-wide Academy that encompasses all fields of scholarly inquiry. It acts as co-ordinator of Europe ...
in Europe, and Optica in the USA (formerly Optical Society of America). He was a Distinguished Visiting Professor of the
Chinese Academy of Sciences The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS; ) is the national academy for natural sciences and the highest consultancy for science and technology of the People's Republic of China. It is the world's largest research organization, with 106 research i ...
between 2010 and 2014, and he is currently a Distinguished Research Fellow of Sabanci University,
Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
. He was a member of the editorial board of
Scientific Reports ''Scientific Reports'' is a peer-reviewed open-access scientific mega journal published by Nature Portfolio, covering all areas of the natural sciences. The journal was established in 2011. The journal states that their aim is to assess solely ...
for the period 2011–2015. He is a member of the advisory board for
Small Small means of insignificant size Size in general is the Magnitude (mathematics), magnitude or dimensions of a thing. More specifically, ''geometrical size'' (or ''spatial size'') can refer to three geometrical measures: length, area, or ...
since 2019 and a member of the editorial board for IoP Materials for Quantum Technology since 2023. He is also a prominent advocator of science communication and public engagement, with a large following on Twitter. His noted public engagements include 6
TEDx TED Conferences, LLC (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is an American-Canadian non-profit media organization that posts international talks online for free distribution under the slogan "Ideas Change Everything" (previously "Ideas Worth Sprea ...
talks on quantum physics, light, science and diversity, as well as multiple opinion pieces in published media. He is also an activist for gender equality and diversity. He also became a popular and emblematic scientific figure in Turkey, where he makes regular appearances in—or is discussed by—the media. He was nominated Turkish man of the year for 2015 by the fashion magazine GQ, who nicknamed him "“Profesör kahkaha" or "Professor Laughter" due to his friendly attitude and enthusiasm for his research". He is often sighted in Cambridge University with his cat Mietzi.


Awards and honors

* 2021 Elected Member of Academia Europaea (EA) * 2020 Thomas Young Medal (IoP), first Turkish physicist to earn it. * 2020 Fellow of the
Optical society of america Optica, founded as the Optical Society of America (later the Optical Society), is a professional society of individuals and companies with an interest in optics and photonics. It publishes journals, organizes conferences and exhibitions, and ca ...
(OSA) * 2020
European Research Council The European Research Council (ERC) is a public body for funding of scientific and technological research conducted within the European Union (EU). Established by the European Commission in 2007, the ERC is composed of an independent Scientific ...
– Advanced Award. * 2020 Distinguished Research Fellow,
Sabancı University Sabancı University () is a private research university that adopts a liberal arts education approach, established in 1994 and located on a 1.26 million squaremeter campus which is about 40 km from Istanbul's city center. Its first students ...
. * 2019 European Research Council – Proof of Concept Award. * 2016 International Achievement Award – ForumIstanbul2023. * 2016 Science Person of the Year – MSIC National Students’ Choice Award. * 2015 Outstanding Achievement Award – GQ Turkey Man of the Year * 2013 European Research Council – Consolidator Award * 2012 Elected Fellow of the
Turkish Academy of Sciences The Turkish Academy of Sciences ( – TÜBA) is an autonomous scholarly association aimed at promoting scientific activities in Turkey. Although it is attached to the office of the Presidency and is largely funded by the government, it maintains f ...
(TÜBA) * 2010 Elected Fellow of the Institute of Physics UK (IoP) * 2010–2014 CAS Distinguished Visiting Professor – USTC, China * 2007 European Research Council – Starter Award * 2007
Venia legendi Habilitation is the highest university degree, or the procedure by which it is achieved, in Germany, France, Italy, Poland and some other European and non-English-speaking countries. The candidate fulfills a university's set criteria of excellen ...
in Experimental Physics –
ETH Zurich ETH Zurich (; ) is a public university in Zurich, Switzerland. Founded in 1854 with the stated mission to educate engineers and scientists, the university focuses primarily on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. ETH Zurich ran ...


Publications

Atatüre is the author or co-author of more than a hundred of peer-reviewed publications. Selected works: * * * * * * * * *


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Atatüre, Mete Living people 1975 births Turkish physicists Nanophysicists Optical physicists Bilkent University alumni Boston University alumni Fellows of St John's College, Cambridge Members of Academia Europaea