Physicists Invent Intelligent Quantum Sensor of Light Waves

UT Dallas physicists and collaborators at Yale University have demonstrated an atomically thin, intelligent quantum sensor that can simultaneously detect all the fundamental properties of an incoming light wave.

The research, published April 13, 2022, in the journal Nature, demonstrates a new concept based on quantum geometry that could find use in health care and deep-space exploration applications.

“Typically, when you want to characterize a wave of light, you have to use different instruments to gather information, such as the intensity, wavelength and polarization state of the light,” said Dr. Fan Zhang, associate professor of physics in the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics.

“Now we have a single device — just a tiny and thin chip — that can determine all these properties simultaneously in a very short time,” he said.

The device exploits the physical properties of 2D materials called moiré metamaterials. Zhang published a review article on these materials Feb. 2, 2022, in Nature.

The 2D materials have periodic structures and are atomically thin. If two layers are overlaid with a small rotational twist, a moiré pattern with an emergent, orders-of-magnitude larger periodicity can form. The resulting moiré metamaterial yields electronic properties that differ from those exhibited by a single layer alone or by two naturally aligned layers.

By tuning the moiré metamaterial, the photovoltage generated by an incoming light wave creates a 2D map that is unique — like a fingerprint — and from which the wave’s properties may be inferred.

– Amanda Siegfried