Arbitrarily structured quantum emission with a multifunctional metalens

Abstract

Structuring light emission from single-photon emitters (SPEs) in multiple degrees of freedom is of great importance for quantum information processing towards higher dimensions. However, traditional control of emission from quantum light sources relies on the use of multiple bulky optical elements or nanostructured resonators with limited functionalities, constraining the potential of multi-dimensional tailoring. Here we introduce the use of an ultrathin polarisation-beam-splitting metalens for the arbitrary structuring of quantum emission at room temperature. Owing to the complete and independent polarisation and phase control at the single meta-atom level, the designed metalens enables simultaneous mapping of quantum emission from ultra-bright defects in hexagonal boron nitride and imprinting of an arbitrary wavefront onto orthogonal polarisation states of the sources. The hybrid quantum metalens enables simultaneous manipulation of multiple degrees of freedom of a quantum light source, including directionality, polarisation, and orbital angular momentum. This could unleash the full potential of solid-state SPEs for their use as high-dimensional quantum sources for advanced quantum photonic applications.