Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

IEEE Optoelectronics Global Conference (OGC)

Meta-Polarizer-Lens Based Integrated Optical Probing Scheme for Atomic Magnetometer

Longkun Yu, Jinsheng Hu, Nan Li, Run Xu, Zhaohui Wang, Mao Ye

Published Sep 9, 2025• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Optically pumped magnetometers (OPMs) have undergone rapid development in recent years. The optical probing system, which plays a crucial role in interrogating quantum state of atoms under external perturbations, is an essential component in OPMs. However, conventional optical probing schemes rely on bulky optical components and tedious adjustment procedures, which hinder their applications in portable or compact scenarios. In this study, a method has been proposed in order to overcome these limitations by a metasurface, which is based on localized - interference effects. With the metasurface, we can simultaneously convert any incident polarized light into linearly polarized light and manipulate its wavefront. It achieves a maximum transmission efficiency of 91.7 % and a focusing efficiency of 91.3 %. Since the fabrication process of our metasurface is compatible with current complementary-metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) fabrication technology, it can be integrated with a vapor cell, which is the core sensing element for many advanced atomic devices. Our study proposes an optical probing scheme suitable for chip-scale OPMs, and laying the foundation for the mass production of other chip-scale atomic devices.

DOI
10.1109/ogc66041.2025.11262077

Related papers

Integrated optical probing scheme enabled by localized‐interference metasurface for chip‐scale atomic magnetometer

Jinsheng Hu, Zihua Liang, Peng Zhou +3 more

Abstract Emerging miniaturized atomic sensors such as optically pumped magnetometers (OPMs) have attracted widespread interest due to their application in high‐spatial‐resolution biomagnetism imaging. While optical probing systems in conventional OPMs require bulk optical devices including linear polarizers and lenses for polarization conversion and wavefront shaping, which are challenging for chip‐scale integration. In this study, an integrated optical probing scheme based on localized‐interference metasurface for chip‐scale OPM is developed. Our monolithic metasurface allows tailorable linear polarization conversion and wavefront manipulation. Two silicon‐based metasurfaces namely meta‐polarizer and meta‐polarizer‐lens are fabricated and characterized, with maximum transmission efficiency and extinction ratio (ER) of 86.29 % and 14.2 dB for the meta‐polarizer as well as focusing efficiency and ER of 72.79 % and 6.4 dB for the meta‐polarizer‐lens, respectively. A miniaturized vapor cell with 4 × 4 × 4 mm 3 dimension containing 87 Rb and N 2 is combined with the meta‐polarizer to construct a compact zero‐field resonance OPM for proof of concept. The sensitivity of this sensor reaches approximately 9 fT/Hz 1/2 with a dynamic range near zero magnetic field of about ±2.3 nT. This study provides a promising solution for chip‐scale optical probing, which holds potential for the development of chip‐integrated OPMs as well as other advanced atomic devices where the integration of optical probing system is expected.

Nanophotonics•Sep 25, 2024•13 citations

Chip-Scale Single-Beam Atomic Magnetometer Enabled by Spin-Selective Interference Meta-Optics

Jinsheng Hu, Zihua Liang, Peng Zhou +3 more

Emerging atomic magnetometers (AMs) are among the most advanced sensors for detecting and characterizing magnetic fields. Recently, there has been growing interest in the miniaturization and integration of AMs due to the urgent demand for portability and compactness in various fields such as biomagnetism imaging. While conventional AMs require a bulky setup of optical devices for the pumping and optical readout of atomic spin, here, a novel chip-scale single-beam AM scheme is proposed by leveraging extreme transmissive circular polarization dichroism (TCPD) and geometric phase manipulation of spin-selective interference meta-optics. This is achieved through silicon-based metasurfaces that enable the realization of arbitrary-to-circular polarization conversion and wavefront modulation within a monolithic chip at Rb D1 transition wavelength (λ = 795 nm). Two spin-selective interference metasurfaces, i.e., meta-circular-polarizer (MCP) and meta-circular-polarizer-lens (MCPL), are fabricated and characterized, with a measured TCPD of 0.68 for the MCP as well as focusing efficiency and TCPD of around 70.67% and 0.69 for the MCPL, respectively. As a proof of concept, a 4 × 4 × 4 mm 3 Rb vapor cell is combined with our metasurface to construct a miniaturized single-beam AM. The sensitivity of our compact metasurface-based system is about 15 fT/Hz 1/2, with a dynamic range near zero-field of ± 2.2 nT. We envision that this work could facilitate the development of burgeoning chip-scale quantum sensors, which hold great potential for high-spatial-resolution biomagnetic imaging, on-chip nuclear magnetic resonance, and so forth.

ACS Photonics•Dec 20, 2024•17 citations

Analysis of atomic magnetometry using metasurface optics for balanced polarimetry

Xuting Yang, Meryem Benelajla, S. Carpenter +1 more

Atomic magnetometry is one of the most sensitive field-measurement techniques for biological, geo-surveying, and navigational applications. An essential process in atomic magnetometry is measurement of optical polarization rotation of a near-resonant beam due to its interaction with atomic spins under an external magnetic field. In this work, we present the design and analysis of a silicon-metasurface-based polarization beam splitter that have been tailored for operation in a rubidium magnetometer. The metasurface polarization beam splitter operates at a wavelength of 795 nm and has a transmission efficiency > 83% and a polarization extinction ratio > 20 dB. We show that these performance specifications are compatible with magnetometer operation in miniaturized vapor cells with sub-picotesla-level sensitivity and discuss the prospect of realizing compact, high-sensitivity atomic magnetometers with nanophotonic component integration.

arXiv:2210.04952•Optics Express•Mar 21, 2023•30 citations

Integrated optical rotation detection scheme for chip-scale atomic magnetometer empowered by silicon-rich SiNx metalens

Jinsheng Hu, Zihua Liang, Peng Zhou +4 more

High-performance atomic magnetometers (AMs) rely on the measurement of optical rotation, which requires a set of bulky polarization optics that limit their applications in scenarios where portability and compactness are necessary. In this study, a miniaturized AM is constructed based on a cubic 87 Rb vapor cell and monolithic metalens, which provides an integrated scheme to achieve optical rotation detection induced by the circular birefringence of polarized atoms. The designed metalens achieves polarization splitting with deflection angles of ±10 ∘ and focusing with efficiencies of approximately 30% for orthogonal linear polarizations. The sensitivity of our compact device is ∼30 fT/Hz 1/2 with a dynamic range of around ±1.45 nT. We envision that the presented approach paves the way for the chip integration of emerging atomic devices, which are in demand for applications such as biomagnetic imaging and portable atomic gyroscopes.

Optics Letters•May 22, 2024•18 citations

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

Yan Lu Xu, Zhen Chai, Mingke Jin +4 more

In nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) co-magnetometers, the non-uniform transverse energy distribution of the pumping Gaussian beam can result in substantial optical pumping inhomogeneity and decoherence of atomic spins, which hinder the improvement of the precision and sensitivity of the sensor. One of the most significant recent technological advances for laser beam homogenization is the utilization of the microlens array system. However, the homogenized characteristics of the microlens array system vary with the propagation distance of the pumping light and are not suitable for chip integration, which will affect the sensitivity and compactness of the NMR system. To solve this issue, a metasurface homogenizer is demonstrated for encoding intensity information into the polarization profile of an incident Gaussian beam by combining the geometric phase and Malus' law with the transverse intensity distribution independent of the propagation distance. Compared to Gaussian beam pumping at identical input power, the metasurface homogenizer enhances the measured optical magnetic sensitivity by 23%. The proposed metasurface homogenizer not only realizes the higher precision and sensitivity in NMR co-magnetometers, but also highlights how metasurface-based technologies can contribute to the integrated quantum sensing regime.

Microsystems & Nanoengineering•Nov 24, 2025•6 citations

Space-Variant Polarization Distribution Mitigates AC-Stark Shifts in a SERF Atomic Magnetometer

Zihua Liang, Tengyue Long, Lu Liu +5 more

Emerging biomagnetic imaging requires compact optical pumping magnetometer (OPM) arrays that enable high spatial resolution with remarkable sensitivity. In such devices, atomic pumping fundamentally depends on conventional optical systems, yet realizing diverse pumping modalities persists as a critical challenge─particularly in integrated applications. In this study, a space-variant polarization distribution (SPD) pumping source is achieved and integrated with an atomic magnetometer for the first time. Our method enables modification of optical polarization within a 3 × 3 × 3 mm 3 87 Rb micro-vapor cell to spatially separate the atomic pumping and detection regions, resulting in a 56% mean (75% maximum) reduction in the AC Stark effect compared with the conventional scheme. Experiment results demonstrate a 20.1 fT/Hz 1/2 sensitivity and a 52 Hz bandwidth with a dynamic response range of ±3 nT, which is comparable to the state-of-the-art chip-scale OPMs. By leveraging the SPD pumping method, various atomic devices with a diffusion-pumping scheme are able to achieve chip integration, which further paves the way for the development of high-spatial-resolution biomagnetism imaging and portable atomic sensing applications.

ACS Photonics•Apr 8, 2025•7 citations
Optically pumped magnetometers (OPMs) have undergone rapid development in recent years. The optical probing system, which plays a crucial role in interrogating quantum state of atoms under external perturbations, is an essential component in OPMs. However, conventional optical probing schemes rely on bulky optical components and tedious adjustment procedures, which hinder their applications in portable or compact scenarios. In this study, a method has been proposed in order to overcome these limitations by a metasurface, which is based on localized - interference effects. With the metasurface, we can simultaneously convert any incident polarized light into linearly polarized light and manipulate its wavefront. It achieves a maximum transmission efficiency of 91.7 % and a focusing efficiency of 91.3 %. Since the fabrication process of our metasurface is compatible with current complementary-metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) fabrication technology, it can be integrated with a vapor cell, which is the core sensing element for many advanced atomic devices. Our study proposes an optical probing scheme suitable for chip-scale OPMs, and laying the foundation for the mass production of other chip-scale atomic devices.
Abstract Emerging miniaturized atomic sensors such as optically pumped magnetometers (OPMs) have attracted widespread interest due to their application in high‐spatial‐resolution biomagnetism imaging. While optical probing systems in conventional OPMs require bulk optical devices including linear polarizers and lenses for polarization conversion and wavefront shaping, which are challenging for chip‐scale integration. In this study, an integrated optical probing scheme based on localized‐interference metasurface for chip‐scale OPM is developed. Our monolithic metasurface allows tailorable linear polarization conversion and wavefront manipulation. Two silicon‐based metasurfaces namely meta‐polarizer and meta‐polarizer‐lens are fabricated and characterized, with maximum transmission efficiency and extinction ratio (ER) of 86.29 % and 14.2 dB for the meta‐polarizer as well as focusing efficiency and ER of 72.79 % and 6.4 dB for the meta‐polarizer‐lens, respectively. A miniaturized vapor cell with 4 × 4 × 4 mm 3 dimension containing 87 Rb and N 2 is combined with the meta‐polarizer to construct a compact zero‐field resonance OPM for proof of concept. The sensitivity of this sensor reaches approximately 9 fT/Hz 1/2 with a dynamic range near zero magnetic field of about ±2.3 nT. This study provides a promising solution for chip‐scale optical probing, which holds potential for the development of chip‐integrated OPMs as well as other advanced atomic devices where the integration of optical probing system is expected.
Emerging atomic magnetometers (AMs) are among the most advanced sensors for detecting and characterizing magnetic fields. Recently, there has been growing interest in the miniaturization and integration of AMs due to the urgent demand for portability and compactness in various fields such as biomagnetism imaging. While conventional AMs require a bulky setup of optical devices for the pumping and optical readout of atomic spin, here, a novel chip-scale single-beam AM scheme is proposed by leveraging extreme transmissive circular polarization dichroism (TCPD) and geometric phase manipulation of spin-selective interference meta-optics. This is achieved through silicon-based metasurfaces that enable the realization of arbitrary-to-circular polarization conversion and wavefront modulation within a monolithic chip at Rb D1 transition wavelength (λ = 795 nm). Two spin-selective interference metasurfaces, i.e., meta-circular-polarizer (MCP) and meta-circular-polarizer-lens (MCPL), are fabricated and characterized, with a measured TCPD of 0.68 for the MCP as well as focusing efficiency and TCPD of around 70.67% and 0.69 for the MCPL, respectively. As a proof of concept, a 4 × 4 × 4 mm 3 Rb vapor cell is combined with our metasurface to construct a miniaturized single-beam AM. The sensitivity of our compact metasurface-based system is about 15 fT/Hz 1/2, with a dynamic range near zero-field of ± 2.2 nT. We envision that this work could facilitate the development of burgeoning chip-scale quantum sensors, which hold great potential for high-spatial-resolution biomagnetic imaging, on-chip nuclear magnetic resonance, and so forth.
Atomic magnetometry is one of the most sensitive field-measurement techniques for biological, geo-surveying, and navigational applications. An essential process in atomic magnetometry is measurement of optical polarization rotation of a near-resonant beam due to its interaction with atomic spins under an external magnetic field. In this work, we present the design and analysis of a silicon-metasurface-based polarization beam splitter that have been tailored for operation in a rubidium magnetometer. The metasurface polarization beam splitter operates at a wavelength of 795 nm and has a transmission efficiency > 83% and a polarization extinction ratio > 20 dB. We show that these performance specifications are compatible with magnetometer operation in miniaturized vapor cells with sub-picotesla-level sensitivity and discuss the prospect of realizing compact, high-sensitivity atomic magnetometers with nanophotonic component integration.
High-performance atomic magnetometers (AMs) rely on the measurement of optical rotation, which requires a set of bulky polarization optics that limit their applications in scenarios where portability and compactness are necessary. In this study, a miniaturized AM is constructed based on a cubic 87 Rb vapor cell and monolithic metalens, which provides an integrated scheme to achieve optical rotation detection induced by the circular birefringence of polarized atoms. The designed metalens achieves polarization splitting with deflection angles of ±10 ∘ and focusing with efficiencies of approximately 30% for orthogonal linear polarizations. The sensitivity of our compact device is ∼30 fT/Hz 1/2 with a dynamic range of around ±1.45 nT. We envision that the presented approach paves the way for the chip integration of emerging atomic devices, which are in demand for applications such as biomagnetic imaging and portable atomic gyroscopes.
In nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) co-magnetometers, the non-uniform transverse energy distribution of the pumping Gaussian beam can result in substantial optical pumping inhomogeneity and decoherence of atomic spins, which hinder the improvement of the precision and sensitivity of the sensor. One of the most significant recent technological advances for laser beam homogenization is the utilization of the microlens array system. However, the homogenized characteristics of the microlens array system vary with the propagation distance of the pumping light and are not suitable for chip integration, which will affect the sensitivity and compactness of the NMR system. To solve this issue, a metasurface homogenizer is demonstrated for encoding intensity information into the polarization profile of an incident Gaussian beam by combining the geometric phase and Malus' law with the transverse intensity distribution independent of the propagation distance. Compared to Gaussian beam pumping at identical input power, the metasurface homogenizer enhances the measured optical magnetic sensitivity by 23%. The proposed metasurface homogenizer not only realizes the higher precision and sensitivity in NMR co-magnetometers, but also highlights how metasurface-based technologies can contribute to the integrated quantum sensing regime.
Emerging biomagnetic imaging requires compact optical pumping magnetometer (OPM) arrays that enable high spatial resolution with remarkable sensitivity. In such devices, atomic pumping fundamentally depends on conventional optical systems, yet realizing diverse pumping modalities persists as a critical challenge─particularly in integrated applications. In this study, a space-variant polarization distribution (SPD) pumping source is achieved and integrated with an atomic magnetometer for the first time. Our method enables modification of optical polarization within a 3 × 3 × 3 mm 3 87 Rb micro-vapor cell to spatially separate the atomic pumping and detection regions, resulting in a 56% mean (75% maximum) reduction in the AC Stark effect compared with the conventional scheme. Experiment results demonstrate a 20.1 fT/Hz 1/2 sensitivity and a 52 Hz bandwidth with a dynamic response range of ±3 nT, which is comparable to the state-of-the-art chip-scale OPMs. By leveraging the SPD pumping method, various atomic devices with a diffusion-pumping scheme are able to achieve chip integration, which further paves the way for the development of high-spatial-resolution biomagnetism imaging and portable atomic sensing applications.