2022/06/23 by Grisha Spektor, Spektor, Grisha, David Carlson +19 · 2 citations
Computer Science · Physics and Astronomy · #Applied Physics (physics.app-ph) #Atomic Physics (physics.atom-ph) #Cold Atom Physics and Bose-Einstein Condensates #FOS: Physical sciences #Optics (physics.optics) #Orbital Angular Momentum in Optics #Quantum Information and Cryptography
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2206.11966
openalex publication_date 2022/06/23 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Visible wavelengths of light control the quantum matter of atoms and molecules and are foundational for quantum technologies, including computers, sensors, and clocks. The development of visible integrated photonics opens the possibility for scalable circuits with complex functionalities, advancing both the scientific and technological frontiers. We experimentally demonstrate an inverse design approach based on superposition of guided-mode sources, allowing the generation and full control of free-space radiation directly from within a single 150 nm layer Ta2O5, showing low loss across visible and near-infrared spectra. We generate diverging circularly-polarized beams at the challenging 461 nm wavelength that can be directly used for magneto-optical traps of strontium atoms, constituting a fundamental building block for a range of atomic-physics-based quantum technologies. Our generated topological vortex beams and spatially-varying polarization emitters could open unexplored light-matter interaction pathways, enabling a broad new photonic-atomic paradigm. Our platform highlights the generalizability of nanoscale devices for visible-laser emission and will be critical for scaling quantum technologies.