Multifunctional metalens for trapping and characterizing single atoms

TL;DR

This paper introduces a multifunctional metalens that combines trapping and characterization functionalities for single Rubidium atoms, enabling compact quantum systems with integrated optical control.

Contribution

The work demonstrates a novel metasurface that integrates an achromatic lens, quarter-wave plate, and polarizer for atom trapping and fluorescence collection in a compact setup.

Findings

The metalens effectively traps and characterizes single atoms.

Trapping lifetime depends on external magnetic fields.

The metasurface enables integrated quantum control at the nanoscale.

Abstract

Precise control and manipulation of neutral atoms are essential for quantum technologies but largely dependent on conventional bulky optical setups. Here, we demonstrate a multifunctional metalens that integrates an achromatic lens with large numerical aperture, a quarter-wave plate, and a polarizer for trapping and characterizing single Rubidium atoms. The metalens simultaneously focuses a trapping beam at 852\,nm and collects single-photon fluorescence at 780\,nm. We observe a strong dependence of the trapping lifetime on an external bias magnetic field, suggests a complex interplay between the circularly polarized trapping light and the atom's internal states. Our work showcases the potential of metasurfaces in realizing compact and integrated quantum systems based on cold atoms, opening up new possibilities for studying quantum control and manipulation at the nanoscale.