The Quantum Optics of Metamaterials

The last ten years have witnessed remarkable advances in the development of novel materials with optical properties engineered for specific applications. Important examples include negative refractive index materials, chiral media and the epsilon-near-zero materials, fabricated to have near-zero permittivity. At present most of the emphasis has been on exploiting these in the classical domain, but their novel properties invite exploration of their quantum properties and it this that is the central idea of this project.

Our aim is to exploit and develop the theory of the quantized electromagnetic field in general magneto-dielectric media [Barnett and Loudon, New J. Phys. 17, 063027 (2015)] as the basis for examining radiative properties, such as absorption and emission, of atoms and other active objects. In particular, we seek to understand how lifetimes and transition rates are modified.

A long-term goal of much of current quantum optical research is the development of quantum technologies. There is substantial interest in this topic for EPSRC, the EU, the NSF and multiple other international agencies and companies. This is because of the manifest benefits to be gained by harnessing quantum effects in technology. It is far from clear, as yet, which technological platforms will provide the best opportunities, but it is most likely that practical quantum processors will require the harnessing of ensembles of qubits (two-level systems) and the overcoming of the ever-present decohering effects. We aim to contribute to this programme by establishing how the novel properties of specially engineered metamaterials might assist in this task.