In 2001 the Optics Section in the Physics Department at Imperial College was reorganised. Instead of dividing the research activities between the Applied Optics Group (AO) and the Laser Optics Spectroscopy Group (LOASP) , a new division between the Photonics Group (PHOT) and the Quantum Optics and Laser Science Group (QOLS) was made.

The Photonics Group results from the combination of the Applied Optics Group and the two applications-orientated subgroups from the LOASP, namely the Femtosecond Optics Group and the Nonlinear Optics Group. We believe that this coherent combination of world-leading applications-driven research provides a major force for advances in photonic science and technology that draws on the long and respected traditions of its components.

Research in the QOLS Group encompasses a wide range of theoretical and experimental projects in quantum optics, quantum information processing, laser physics and nonlinear optics.