Light emitters for on-chip SERF atomic magnetometers based on an inverse design method

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Atomic Physics
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• On-chip spin-exchange relaxation-free (SERF) atomic magnetometers (AMs) require linearly polarized light at 795 nm for operation.
• Existing methods for generating polarized light on-chip may lack efficiency or specific polarization control.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and demonstrate an inverse-designed light emitter for generating linearly polarized light at 795 nm.
• To explore the potential for creating circularly polarized light emitters for integrated optical systems.

Main Methods:

• Utilized inverse design principles to engineer a light emitter optimized for 795 nm wavelength.
• Focused on maximizing coupling efficiency as the primary objective function to achieve linear polarization.
• Introduced a modified objective function incorporating a circularly polarized component to achieve different polarization states.

Main Results:

• Successfully demonstrated a 795 nm light emitter producing linearly polarized light, confirmed by experimental verification.
• The emitter achieved linear polarization when coupling efficiency was the sole optimization objective.
• Developed a second emitter capable of generating right-rotated circularly polarized light by including polarization state in the objective function.

Conclusions:

• The proposed inverse-designed emitter is suitable for generating the linearly polarized light needed for on-chip SERF AMs.
• This work presents a viable pathway for developing on-chip optical systems with tailored polarization control.
• The demonstrated capability to generate both linear and circular polarization opens possibilities for diverse integrated photonic applications.