Optical metasurfaces, i.e., subwavelength planar nanostructures, have attracted increasing attention due to their unprecedented capabilities of molding classical light and revolutionized conventional optics by replacing bulky optical components with ultrathin, lightweight, and ultracompact meta-optics. In addition to controlling classical light, meta-optics demonstrate the potential to efficiently manipulate nonclassical light and start to enter the realm of quantum photonics. Here, we briefly overview recent advances in quantum meta-optics for generation and manipulation of nonclassical light, highlighting innovative approaches, and discuss future opportunities in this burgeoning area, ranging from fundamental research to practical applications.
Optical metasurfaces, i.e., subwavelength planar nanostructures, have attracted increasing attention due to their unprecedented capabilities of molding classical light and revolutionized conventional optics by replacing bulky optical components with ultrathin, lightweight, and ultracompact meta-optics. In addition to controlling classical light, meta-optics demonstrate the potential to efficiently manipulate nonclassical light and start to enter the realm of quantum photonics. Here, we briefly overview recent advances in quantum meta-optics for generation and manipulation of nonclassical light, highlighting innovative approaches, and discuss future opportunities in this burgeoning area, ranging from fundamental research to practical applications.
The convergence of metamaterials and quantum optics heralds a transformative era in photonic technologies, poised to revolutionize applications ranging from information processing and imaging to sensing and beyond. This review explores the synergistic integration of metasurfaces—engineered sub-wavelength planar structures—and quantum optics, which exploits quantum mechanical principles to manipulate light at the most granular level. We outline the design principles, fabrication processes, and computational challenges involved in creating quantum metasurfaces, discussing both forward and inverse design approaches. Advances in nanofabrication and intelligent optimization techniques, such as machine learning and topology optimization, have enabled the development of metasurfaces with unparalleled control over electromagnetic waves. We examine recent progress in using quantum metasurfaces for single-photon and multi-photon generation, quantum imaging, and quantum sensing, showcasing how these innovations achieve unprecedented precision and novel functionalities. Additionally, we highlight the integration of metasurfaces into quantum light manipulation, emphasizing their role in enhancing wavefront shaping and entanglement control. By providing a comprehensive survey of current advancements and future research directions, this review highlights the vast potential of metasurfaces and quantum optics at the crossroads, setting the stage for next-generation technological innovations that will define the forthcoming decade.
Quantum metaphotonics has emerged as a cutting-edge subfield of meta-optics employing subwavelength resonators and their planar structures, such as metasurfaces, to generate, manipulate, and detect quantum states of light. It holds a great potential for the miniaturization of current bulky quantum optical elements by developing a design of on-chip quantum systems for various applications of quantum technologies. Over the past few years, this field has witnessed a surge of intriguing theoretical ideas, groundbreaking experiments, and novel application proposals. This Perspective aims to summarize the most recent advancements and also provides a perspective on the further progress in this rapidly developing field of research.
Recent progress in meta-optics, particularly the development of metasurfaces, has enabled compact, tunable, and integrable control over the amplitude, phase, polarization, and wavefront of light, thereby allowing a paradigm shift in traditional optical science and engineering. In parallel, the ability to generate and precisely manipulate nonclassical light is central to quantum optics, enabling key functionalities in secure quantum communication, precision measurement, and scalable quantum computation. This review aims to bridge these two rapidly advancing fields by presenting recent progress in the application of structured materials to the manipulation of quantum states of light. We begin by introducing the concept of singular optics, followed by a discussion of various families of spatially and temporally structured beams that form the foundation for many of the phenomena explored in quantum photonics. Next, we revisit the theoretical framework of quantum optics, including the formalism of photon quantization and the principles governing quantum frequency conversion. We then examine how metasurfaces can be engineered to enable highly efficient nonlinear quantum processes, including both up-conversion and down-conversion, thereby offering new approaches for generating and controlling complex quantum states. Furthermore, we discuss the crucial role of structured materials in shaping the properties of quantum light and in applications such as quantum ghost imaging. The review concludes by identifying emerging directions for integrating meta-optical platforms with quantum systems, highlighting their potential for scalable manipulation of nonclassical light at the nanoscale.
Meta-devices, known for their capability to manipulate light fields at a subwavelength scale, have gained significant traction in the realm of quantum photonics in recent ACCEPTED ARTICLE PREVIEW 2 / 48 years.They are being utilized in miniaturized applications such as the preparation of quantum light sources and the control and detection of quantum states.In this review, we provide a systematic explanation of the working principles and notable applications of meta-devices in quantum optical information processing, while also outlining potential directions for the future development of quantum meta-devices.
In recent decades, quantum information technologies have attracted significant attention and experienced rapid development due to their ultrafast processing speeds and high level of information security. A significant trend in this field of study involves the ongoing pursuit of integrating and miniaturizing quantum devices. Metasurfaces, which are artificially designed planar nanostructure arrays with versatile wavefront shaping capabilities, present a promising platform for the development of integrated photonic quantum devices by effectively controlling quantum light in multiple degrees of freedom. In this review, recent advances in the field of quantum photonics facilitated by metasurfaces, encompassing quantum light sources, manipulation and measurement of quantum states, and the intriguing functionalities of quantum metasurfaces, are summarized. Additionally, potential future directions for the advancement of quantum metasurfaces are discussed.
Quantum imaging leverages entanglement and photon correlations to surpass classical limits in resolution and noise performance. However, its practical deployment is constrained by bulky optical setups and limited system adaptability. Metasurfaces—ultrathin, subwavelength-structured devices—offer a compact and reconfigurable solution for wavefront control in quantum light fields. This review presents recent advances in geometric-, propagation-, and hybrid-phase metasurface designs, showcasing their contributions to enhanced spatial resolution, improved visibility, and system miniaturization across applications such as ghost imaging, quantum holography, and single-photon microscopy. It also examines key challenges—including photon loss, fabrication-induced phase noise, and the lack of dynamic tunability—while outlining future directions for developing integrated, noise-resilient, and task-specific quantum imaging platforms.