Alleviating optical pumping inhomogeneity using a polarization-encoded metasurface in NMR co-magnetometers

Area of Science:

• Quantum Sensing
• Optics and Photonics
• Materials Science

Background:

• Non-uniform laser beams in NMR co-magnetometers cause spin decoherence, limiting sensor performance.
• Existing microlens array systems for beam homogenization have limitations in chip integration and distance dependency.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a metasurface-based solution for laser beam homogenization in NMR co-magnetometers.
• To overcome the limitations of current homogenization techniques for improved sensor sensitivity and compactness.

Main Methods:

• A metasurface was designed to encode intensity information into the polarization of a Gaussian beam.
• The metasurface utilizes geometric phase and Malus' law for intensity homogenization.
• Transverse intensity distribution was engineered to be independent of propagation distance.

Main Results:

• The metasurface homogenizer demonstrated intensity distribution independent of propagation distance.
• Optical magnetic sensitivity was enhanced by 23% compared to standard Gaussian beam pumping.
• The metasurface approach is suitable for chip integration, enhancing NMR system compactness.

Conclusions:

• Metasurface homogenizers offer a promising solution for improving precision and sensitivity in NMR co-magnetometers.
• This technology advances integrated quantum sensing by enabling compact and highly sensitive devices.
• Metasurface-based approaches are key for future developments in miniaturized quantum sensors.