The Use of Metasurface Optical Chip for the Generation of Cold Atoms May Enhance Quantum Sensing, Quantum Metrology & Quantum Simulation in the Future

(ScienceMag) Quantum systems based on cold atoms have enabled advances in areas such as quantum sensing (1), quantum metrology (2, 3), and quantum simulation (4). These cold atom quantum devices use light to engineer and interrogate the quantum states in accomplishing desired functionalities. The advances in photonic technologies greatly enhance the capabilities of the devices for controlling light and open up new horizons. One of the exciting developments is a metasurface optical device composed of spatially variant subwavelength structures, also called meta-atoms.
An international research team provided the first demonstration of the use of metasurface optical chips as a new approach for the generation of cold atoms and assessed their initial performance through realizing initial atom numbers and temperatures commensurate with quantum sensing. They achieved temperatures comparable to what one would get with similar setups and boundary conditions in standard MOT systems. The experiment does not show any limitations of the temperature imposed by the metasurface technology.
The advances in photonic technologies greatly enhance the capabilities of the devices for controlling light and open up new horizons. One of the exciting developments is a metasurface optical device composed of spatially variant subwavelength structures, also called meta-atoms. They offer the capabilities of controlling the amplitude, polarization, and phase of light waves. Because of the versatility in the field of applications and design flexibility as well as straightforward fabrication methodology, metasurface-based optics can potentially replace or complement their conventional refractive and diffractive counterparts.