Analysis of atomic magnetometry using metasurface optics for balanced polarimetry

Abstract

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.

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
Apr 07, 2023
Source ID
10.1364/oe.486311

Entities

People

  • Jennifer T. Choy
  • Meryem Benelajla
  • Steven Carpenter
  • Xuting Yang

Organizations

  • Office of Naval Research
  • University of Wisconsin–Madison

Tags

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Image Processing and Computer Vision.
  • Nanofabrication and Microfabrication.
  • Quantum spin resonance or Electron Paramagnetic Resonance spectroscopy.