Analysis of atomic magnetometry using metasurface optics for balanced polarimetry

TL;DR

This paper introduces a silicon metasurface polarization beam splitter designed for rubidium atomic magnetometers, enabling miniaturization and high sensitivity in magnetic field measurements through nanophotonic integration.

Contribution

The work presents a novel metasurface-based polarization beam splitter tailored for atomic magnetometry, enhancing device miniaturization and performance.

Findings

Transmission efficiency > 83%

Polarization extinction ratio > 20 dB

Compatible with subpicotesla sensitivity magnetometers

Abstract

Atomic magnetometry is one of the most sensitive field-measurement techniques for biological, geo-surveying, and navigation applications. An essential process in atomic magnetometry is measurement of optical polarization rotation of a near-resonant beam due to its interaction with atomic spins under an external magnetic field. In this work, we present the design and analysis of a silicon-metasurface-based polarization beam splitter that have been tailored for operation in a rubidium magnetometer. The metasurface polarization beam splitter operates at a wavelength of 795 nm and has a transmission efficiency > 83% and a polarization extinction ratio > 20 dB. We show that these performance specifications are compatible with magnetometer operation in miniaturized vapor cells with subpicotesla-level sensitivity and discuss the prospect of realizing compact, high-sensitivity atomic magnetometers with nanophotonic component integration.