Polarization Decoupling Multi‐Port Beam‐Splitting Metasurface for Miniaturized Magneto‐Optical Trap

Abstract In regular magneto‐optical trap (MOT) systems, the delivery of six circularly polarized (CP) cooling beams requires complex and bulky optical arrangements including waveplates, mirrors, retroreflectors, etc. To address such technique challenges, a beam delivery system for miniaturized MOT is proposed entirely based on meta‐devices. The key component is a novel polarization decoupling multi‐port beam‐splitting (PD‐MPBS) metasurface that relies on both propagation phase and geometric phase. The fabricated samples exhibit high beam‐splitting power uniformity (within 4.4%) and polarization purities (91.3–93.2%). By leveraging such a beam‐splitting device as well as a reflective beam‐expanding meta‐device, an integrated six‐beam delivery system for miniaturized MOT application is implemented. The experimental results indicate that six expanded beams have been successfully delivered with uniform power (within 9.5%), the desired CP configuration, and a large overlapping volume (76.2 mm ³ ). It is believed that a miniaturized MOT with the proposed beam delivery system is very promising for portable application of cold atom technology in precision measurement, atomic clock, quantum simulation, and computing, etc.