Analysis of atomic magnetometry using metasurface optics for balanced polarimetry

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 und...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Optics express 2023-04, Vol.31 (8), p.13436-13446
Main Authors: Yang, Xuting, Benelajla, Meryem, Carpenter, Steven, Choy, Jennifer T
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary: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.
ISSN:1094-4087
1094-4087
DOI:10.1364/OE.486311