Photon pairs bi-directionally emitted from a resonant metasurface

Son C, Sultanov V, Santiago Cruz T, Anthur APP, Zhang H, Paniagua-Dominguez R, Krivitsky L, Kuznetsov AII, Chekhova M (2023)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2023

Journal

Nanoscale Royal Society of Chemistry

DOI: 10.1039/d2nr05499j

Abstract

Metasurfaces are artificially structured surfaces able to control the properties of light at subwavelength scales. While, initially, they have been proposed as means to control classical optical fields, they are now emerging as nanoscale sources of quantum light, in particular of entangled photons with versatile properties. Geometric resonances in metasurfaces have been recently used to engineer the frequency spectrum of entangled photons, but the emission directivity was so far less studied. Here, we generate photon pairs via spontaneous parametric down conversion from a metasurface supporting a quasi-bound state in the continuum (BIC) leading to remarkable emission directivities. The pair generation rate is enhanced 67 times compared to the case of an unpatterned film of the same thickness and material. At the wavelength of the quasi-BIC resonance, photons are mostly emitted backwards, while their partners, spectrally detuned by only 8 nm, are emitted forwards. This behavior demonstrates fine spectral splitting of entangled photons and their bi-directional emission, never before observed in nanoscale sources. We expect this work to be a starting point for the efficient demultiplexing of photons in nanoscale quantum optics.

Authors with CRIS profile

Vitaliy Sultanov Professur für Optik Tomás Santiago Cruz Professur für Optik Maria Chekhova Professur für Optik

Additional Organisation(s)

Sonderforschungsbereich/Transregio 306/1: Quantenkooperativität von Licht und Materie - QuCoLiMa FAU Profilzentrum Licht.Materie.Quantentechnologien (FAU LMQ)

Related research project(s)

Quantum cooperative helical metafilms for producing nonclassical light (C05) TRR 306: Quantenkooperativität von Licht und Materie – QuCoLiMa Jan. 1, 2021 - Dec. 31, 2024

Involved external institutions

Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) SG Singapore (SG) Max-Planck-Institut für die Physik des Lichts (MPL) / Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light DE Germany (DE)

How to cite

APA:

Son, C., Sultanov, V., Santiago Cruz, T., Anthur, A.P.P., Zhang, H., Paniagua-Dominguez, R.,... Chekhova, M. (2023). Photon pairs bi-directionally emitted from a resonant metasurface. Nanoscale. https://doi.org/10.1039/d2nr05499j

MLA:

Son, Changjin, et al. "Photon pairs bi-directionally emitted from a resonant metasurface." Nanoscale (2023).

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