Dr. Karl Pelka

I am a quantum physicist interested in quantum optomechanics, quantum information, statistical optics, and non-linear dynamics with experience both in theory and experiment and a passionate science communicator.

For now, my postdoctoral journey brought me back to the University of Malta to work within the MQSENS project on the dynamics of bosonic modes forced into subspaces through repeated measurements, the so-called quantum Zeno dynamics, and on entanglement propagation in non-reciprocal bosonic arrays among other activities in the Department of Physics.

I read for my PhD at the University of Malta working on cooperative effects in nano- and optomechanics and studied for my BSc and MSc in Physics at the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität (Erlangen, Germany) specialising in quantum optics, quantum information and statistical optics both theoretically and experimentally.

Moreover, I am a PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor with more than 250 dives and technical diver certified to 50 m with dive experience on five continents

A taste of shark diving in Chiba, Japan (left) and making a jedi bubble ring in Verzasca, Switzerland (right).

Exploring the Um-El Farroud Wreck with a DPV in Zurrieq, Malta; Finding Nemo on the Great Barrier Reef, Australia; Diving the Channel Islands in California; Shark encounter in Chiba, Japan; Diving in Salvador, Brasil (from left to right).

When I find some time, I am a hobbyist programmer trying to find solutions to (generally non-existing) problems. My latest idea is to become a fully AI generated news “musician”. The result can be seen below and should be the successful output of a code that automatically takes some daily news; generates a song; generates a thumbnail picture; generates the video; and uploads it to YouTube for the world to see. Whether you consider it advanced spam generation or inspiring is up to you, I do not review the content of the songs. I belong to the former group and believe that AI music is horrible but I am willing to let my own creation prove me wrong.

news

Apr 20, 2026	Routing entanglement through quantum networks accepted in PR Research.
Oct 09, 2025	Testrun for my fully automated “AI music news” successful.
Oct 02, 2025	Quantum Zeno blockade in optomechanical systems published in PR Research.

latest posts

Apr 20, 2026	Routing entanglement through quantum networks accepted in PR Research.
Oct 02, 2025	Quantum zeno Blockade paper published.
Jun 12, 2025	Quantumalta at 100 years of quantum mechanics 2025 in Helgoland, Germany.

selected publications

Routing entanglement through quantum networks

Karl Pelka, Matteo Aquilina , and André Xuereb

accepted in Physical Review Research, 2026

Bib HTML PDF

@article{Pelka2024,
  title = {Routing entanglement through quantum networks},
  author = {Pelka, Karl and Aquilina, Matteo and Xuereb, Andr{\'e}},
  journal = {accepted in Physical Review Research},
  year = {2026},
}

Quantum Zeno blockade in optomechanical systems

Karl Pelka, and André Xuereb

Physical Review Research, 2025

Bib HTML PDF Supp

@article{Pelka2025,
  title = {Quantum Zeno blockade in optomechanical systems},
  author = {Pelka, Karl and Xuereb, Andr{\'e}},
  journal = {Physical Review Research},
  volume = {7},
  number = {4},
  pages = {L042003},
  year = {2025},
  publisher = {APS},
}

Floquet control of optomechanical bistability in multimode systems

Karl Pelka, Guilhem Madiot , Rémy Braive , and 1 more author

Physical Review Letters, 2022

Bib HTML PDF Supp

@article{Pelka2022A,
  title = {Floquet control of optomechanical bistability in multimode systems},
  author = {Pelka, Karl and Madiot, Guilhem and Braive, R{\'e}my and Xuereb, Andr{\'e}},
  journal = {Physical Review Letters},
  volume = {129},
  number = {12},
  pages = {123603},
  year = {2022},
  publisher = {APS},
}

Floquet phonon lasing in multimode optomechanical systems

Laura Mercadé , Karl Pelka, Roel Burgwal , and 3 more authors

Physical Review Letters, 2021

Bib HTML PDF Supp

@article{Mercade2021,
  title = {Floquet phonon lasing in multimode optomechanical systems},
  author = {Mercad{\'e}, Laura and Pelka, Karl and Burgwal, Roel and Xuereb, Andr{\'e} and Mart{\'\i}nez, Alejandro and Verhagen, Ewold},
  journal = {Physical Review Letters},
  volume = {127},
  number = {7},
  pages = {073601},
  year = {2021},
  publisher = {APS},
}

Chimera states in small optomechanical arrays

Karl Pelka, Vittorio Peano , and André Xuereb

Physical Review Research, 2020

Bib HTML PDF

@article{Pelka2020,
  title = {Chimera states in small optomechanical arrays},
  author = {Pelka, Karl and Peano, Vittorio and Xuereb, Andr{\'e}},
  journal = {Physical Review Research},
  volume = {2},
  number = {1},
  pages = {013201},
  year = {2020},
  publisher = {APS},
}

Prime number decomposition using the Talbot effect

Karl Pelka, Jasmin Graf , Thomas Mehringer , and 1 more author

Optics Express, 2018

Bib HTML PDF

@article{Pelka2018,
  title = {Prime number decomposition using the Talbot effect},
  author = {Pelka, Karl and Graf, Jasmin and Mehringer, Thomas and von Zanthier, Joachim},
  journal = {Optics Express},
  volume = {26},
  number = {12},
  pages = {15009--15014},
  year = {2018},
  publisher = {Optica Publishing Group},
}