On-Chip Emitter-Coupled Meta-Optics for Versatile Photon Sources

TL;DR

This paper introduces an on-chip meta-optic platform that precisely controls photon emission properties from quantum emitters, enabling versatile and integrated quantum light sources for advanced nanophotonics and quantum information applications.

Contribution

It presents a universal design approach for on-chip quantum emitters with customizable polarization, directionality, and amplitudes using meta-optics, demonstrated experimentally.

Findings

Independent engineering of photon polarization, directionality, and amplitudes achieved

Experimental validation of versatile photon source capabilities

Potential for integrated quantum and classical photonic technologies

Abstract

Controlling the spontaneous emission of nanoscale quantum emitters (QEs) is crucial for developing advanced photon sources required in many areas of modern nanophotonics, including quantum information technologies. Conventional approaches to shaping photon emission are based on using bulky configurations, while approaches recently developed in quantum metaphotonics suffer from limited capabilities in achieving desired polarization states and directionality, failing to provide on-demand photon sources tailored precisely to technological needs. Here, we propose a universal approach to designing versatile photon sources using on-chip QE-coupled meta-optics that enable direct transformations of QE-excited surface plasmon polaritons into spatially propagating photon streams with arbitrary polarization states, directionality, and amplitudes via both resonance and geometric phases supplied by meta-atoms. Leveraging this platform, we experimentally demonstrate the independent engineering of polarization states, directionality, and relative amplitudes of photon emission in single and multiple radiation channels. The developed universal approach represents a major step towards the realization of versatile quantum sources, highlighting the potential of integrated photon sources with superior properties for both classical and quantum information technologies.