Post by High Capacity Optical Transmission Laboratory at TU/e

📍 L’Aquila, Italy | HOMTech & QuNEST Doctoral Network Symposium at UnivAQ Last week, High Capacity Optical Transmission Laboratory at TU/e had the pleasure of joining the HOMTech & QuNEST symposium at the beautiful Palazzo Camponeschi at the University of L’Aquila (UnivAQ). This symposium was a special milestone: the final closing meeting for HOMTech, celebrating years of impactful collaboration, and the 5th Training School for QuNEST, continuing its mission to train the next generation of experts in quantum-enhanced secure communication networks. During the symposium, our team presented the following topics: ➡ Menno van den Hout presented an overview of DSP for space-division multiplexed (SDM) transmission systems and the practical requirements for optical MIMO.​ ➡ Besma Kalla presented progress on SDM using randomly-coupled multicore fibers, spanning characterization and high-capacity long-distance transmission directions.​ ➡ Çağla ÖZKAN presented her work on quantum–classical co-propagation in metro-reach networks, addressing how QKD and classical signals can coexist on shared fiber infrastructure.​ ➡ Chigo Okonkwo shared the broader QuNEST vision and project highlights toward practical, scalable quantum-secure optical networks.​ We were also honored to kick off the event with welcoming addresses by Prof. Fabio Graziosi , Rector of the University of L’Aquila, and Prof. Dr. Cristian Antonelli , Chair of the Symposium. Project highlights were shared by Prof. Karsten Rottwitt  (DTU, Coordinator of HOMTech) and Prof. Chigo Okonkwo (TU/e, HOMTech partner and Coordinator of QuNEST). A big thank you to all organizers, speakers, partners, and students who made this event possible. We are looking forward to the continued collaborations across photonics and quantum communications. #HOMTech #QuNEST #Photonics #OpticalCommunications #QuantumCommunications #QKD #SDM #DSP #MIMO #MarieCurie #UnivAQ #Research