Chiral emission from resonant metasurfaces

Ultracompact sources of circularly polarized light are important for classical and quantum optical information processing. Conventional approaches for generating chiral emission are restricted to excitation power ranges and fail to provide high-quality radiation with perfect polarization conversion. We used the physics of chiral quasi-bound states in the continuum to demonstrate the efficient and controllable emission of circularly polarized light from resonant metasurfaces. Exploiting intrinsic chirality and giant field enhancement, we revealed how to simultaneously modify and control spectra, radiation patterns, and spin angular momentum of photoluminescence and lasing without any spin injection. The superior characteristics of chiral emission and lasing promise multiple applications in nanophotonics and quantum optics. Description Another twist for metasurfaces Metasurfaces are specially designed arrays of dielectric components that transform the function of bulk optical components into thin films. Exploiting the physics of bulk states in the continuum for the highly efficient trapping of light, Zhang et al. demonstrate metasurfaces that operate as a source of chiral light (see the Perspective by Forbes). Using a dielectric metasurface doped with light-emitting molecules, they were able to produce chiral photoluminescence and lasing. This approach will be useful for the development of integrated optical devices. —ISO Cobalt carbonyl catalysts prove stable at lower gas pressure than previously thought.