arXiv subjects

Mikhail Kats

Publications and source records attributed to Mikhail Kats.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Metasurfaces for neutral-atom trapping

Trapped neutral atoms are one of the leading platforms for quantum information technologies, in particular for quantum computing, but scaling them to array sizes needed for utility-scale quantum computing is a major engineering challenge. Here we review optical metasurfaces as an enabling technology that provides fine control over the phase, amplitude, and polarization of light, with pixel counts far exceeding what is available with spatial light modulators (SLMs) and other active devices. The large pixel counts have recently led to demonstrations of arrays of optical tweezers with hundreds of thousands of sites and arrays of optical bottle-beams with complex three-dimensional trapping profiles. The flexibility and scalability of optical metasurfaces provides a route towards miniaturized, integrated, and highly scalable atomic experiments and instruments.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2025

Dynamically Tunable Membrane Metasurfaces for Infrared Spectroscopy

Mid-infrared spectroscopy enables biochemical sensing by identifying vibrational molecular fingerprints, but it faces limitations in instrumentation portability and analytical sensitivity. Optical metasurfaces with strong mid-IR photonic resonances provide an attractive solution towards on-chip spectrometry and sensitive molecular detection, yet their static nature hinders their anticipated impact. Here, we introduce and demonstrate dynamically tunable silicon membrane metasurfaces exhibiting high-Q transmissive resonances in the fingerprint region. By harnessing silicon's thermo-optical properties, we achieve continuous modulation of electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT)-like modes that emerge upon the interference of quasi-bound states in the continuum (q-BICs) and surface lattice modes. We measure a spectral tuning rate of 0.06 $cm^{-1}/K$ by continuously sweeping the sharp EIT resonances over a 23.5 $cm^{-1}$ spectral range across a temperature range of 300-700 K. This dynamic transmission control enables non-contact chemical analysis of polymer films by detecting characteristic absorption bands of polystyrene (1450 and 1492 $cm^{-1}$) and Poly(methyl methacrylate) (1730 $cm^{-1}$) without bulky spectrometers. When analyte molecules fill the metasurface-generated photonic cavities, we demonstrate vibrational strong coupling between the Poly(methyl methacrylate)'s carbonyl band and the EIT mode, manifested in the Rabi splitting of $\sim$ 43 $cm^{-1}$. Our results establish a new photonic platform that unites spectral precision, strong field enhancement, and reconfigurability, offering diverse potential for compact mid-IR spectroscopy, molecular sensing, and programmable polaritonic photonics.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2022

Orientation Controlled Anisotropy in Single Crystals of Quasi-1D BaTiS3

Low-dimensional materials with chain-like (one-dimensional) or layered (twodimensional) structures are of significant interest due to their anisotropic electrical, optical, thermal properties. One material with chain-like structure, BaTiS3 (BTS), was recently shown to possess giant in-plane optical anisotropy and glass-like thermal conductivity. To understand the origin of these effects, it is necessary to fully characterize the optical, thermal, and electronic anisotropy of BTS. To this end, BTS crystals with different orientations (aand c-axis orientations) were grown by chemical vapor transport. X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) was used to characterize the local structure and electronic anisotropy of BTS. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) reflection/transmission spectra show a large inplane optical anisotropy in the a-oriented crystals, while the c-axis oriented crystals were nearly isotropic in-plane. BTS platelet crystals are promising uniaxial materials for IR optics with their optic axis parallel to the c-axis. The thermal conductivity measurements revealed a thermal anisotropy of ~4.5 between the c- and a-axis. Time-domain Brillouin scattering showed that the longitudinal sound speed along the two axes is nearly the same suggesting that the thermal anisotropy is a result of different phonon scattering rates.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2018

Accelerating vapor condensation with daytime radiative cooling

Vapor condensation plays a crucial role in solar water-purification technologies. Conventional condensers in solar water-purification systems do not provide sufficient cooling power for vapor condensation, limiting the water production rate to $0.4 L m^{-2} hour^{-1}$. On the other hand, radiative dew condensation, a technique used by existing radiative dew condensers, only works at nighttime and is incompatible with solar water-purification technologies. Here, we develop daytime radiative condensers that reflect almost all solar radiation, and can thus create dew water even in direct sunlight. Compared to state-of-art condensers, our daytime radiative condenser doubles the production of purified water over a 24-hour period. The integration of our daytime radiative condenser with solar water-purification systems can increase the water production rate in sunlight from $0.4 L m^{-2} hour^{-1}$ to more than $1 L m^{-2} hour^{-1}$.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2016

Atomic metasurfaces for manipulation of single photons

Metasurfaces are an emerging platform for manipulating light on a two-dimensional plane. Existing metasurfaces comprise arrays of optical resonators such as plasmonic antennas or high-index nanorods. In this letter, we describe a new approach to realize metasurfaces based on electronic transitions in two-level systems (TLSs). These metasurfaces can reproduce all of the major results in conventional metasurfaces. In addition, since TLSs can be lossless, tunable, and orders of magnitude smaller than optical resonators, atomic metasurfaces can realize functions that are difficult to achieve with optical resonators. Specifically, we develop quantum scattering theory to describe the interaction between single photons and atomic metasurfaces. Based on the theory, we use a sheet of three-level Λ-type atoms as an example and theoretically demonstrate dynamically tunable single-photon steering. We further show directional beaming of spontaneously emitted photons from atomic metasurfaces.

physics.optics↗