Rainer Kaltenbaek is an associate professor at the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, University of Ljubljana (FMF UL), and leads the Quantum Optics and Quantum Foundations Laboratory. He serves as the technical coordinator of the SiQUID project, dedicated to establishing Slovenia’s national quantum communication infrastructure, and heads the MAQRO consortium, which aims to realize a medium-scale space mission for quantum sensing and testing the foundations of quantum physics.
His primary research interests include fundamental tests of physics and the development of experiments for optical quantum information processing and quantum communication. In his laboratory, he focuses on designing and implementing novel sources of narrow-band entanglement and optomechanical systems using optically trapped particles in ultra-high vacuum. A key objective of his work is to create sources of entanglement that can link optomechanical systems with other quantum architectures, enabling advanced applications in quantum sensing and quantum communication.