This talk examines two complementary approaches to controlling photonic states for quantum technologies: precision-engineered resonator lattices and integrated electro-optic manipulation of multiple photonic degrees of freedom. First, it introduces the Surface Nanoscale Axial Photonics (SNAP) platform, in which nanoscale effective-radius variations along an optical fiber create ultra-low-loss, high-Q microresonator networks with sub-angstrom fabrication control. The discussion highlights the recent demonstration of multiband topological heterojunctions using coupled SNAP resonators configured as Su–Schrieffer–Heeger lattices. By exploiting multiple axial mode orders and nonvolatile resonance matching across more than 20 non-uniformly coupled sites, this work establishes SNAP as a promising platform for one-dimensional analogue Hamiltonian simulation and the experimental study of topological boundary and interface modes. The second topic considers electro-optic light control in thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) with a focus on polarization-diverse phase modulation towards polarization–frequency hyperentanglement. TFLN’s strong Pockels nonlinearity offers a route to high-bandwidth, reconfigurable frequency-domain control, while polarization-diverse device architectures seek to extend that control to both polarization eigenmodes. The talk will examine how simultaneous manipulation of polarization and frequency can support higher-dimensional photonic-state engineering, including hyperentangled states and more resource-efficient interfaces for quantum communication and photonic information processing. Together, these platforms illustrate how advances in fabrication precision, topological design, and integrated electro-optics can expand the controllability and scalability of quantum light.

Dashiell L. P. Vitullo is a Research Physicist in the Quantum Networks team at DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory (ARL) and a Visiting Scientist with MIT’s Quantum Photonics and AI group.