Researchers from Monash University, led by Drs. Chi Li and Haoran Ren, have introduced a breakthrough approach in the field of photonic quantum technologies. They've devised a multifunctional metalens to manipulate quantum emissions from solid-state single photon emitters (SPEs), like hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) defects, which can operate at room temperature.
Unlike traditional methods that rely on high numerical aperture objective lenses or micro-structured antennas for photon collection, this new metalens enables precise control over the directionality, polarization, and orbital angular momentum of the emitted quantum light. The metalens, crafted by Drs. Jaehyuck Jang, Trevon Badloe, and Prof. Junsuk Rho at Pohang University of Science and Technology, has the potential to revolutionize quantum light sources by offering unprecedented freedom in shaping quantum emissions.
This innovative technology paves the way for enhanced quantum photonic applications, including quantum cryptography and entanglement distribution. By manipulating photon polarizations, the researchers envision advancements in these areas, particularly in generating polarization-entangled photon pairs. The future prospect of integrating these structured SPE sources with optical fibers could lead to a more robust and secure quantum network with increased information capacity.
Source: Chinese Academy of Sciences