Metasurface Optical Chip Developed at UK Quantum Technology Hub Could Expand Use of Quantum Sensors

(Engineer.uk) Quantum sensing systems could be less cumbersome and applied more widely with a metasurface optical chip developed at the Birmingham University led UK Quantum Technology Hub.
According to Birmingham University, the researchers have used a new approach that will enable quantum sensors to shrink to a fraction of their current size. The research was conducted by an international team led by Birmingham University and SUSTech in China in collaboration with Paderborn University in Germany. Their results are published in Science Advances.
A key challenge in miniaturising the instruments is in reducing the space required by the laser beams, which typically need to be arranged in three pairs, set at angles. The lasers cool the atoms by firing photons against the moving atom, lowering its momentum and cooling it down.
The new findings show how a new technique can be used to reduce the space needed for the laser delivery system. The method uses devices optical metasurfaces that can be used to control light.UK