Metasurfaces to control the quantum dynamics of color centers in hexagonal boron nitride

Photonic metasurfaces have revolutionized optical designs by enabling the realization of virtually flat optics via the replacement of bulky optical components with ultrathin planar elements, which possess ease-of-fabrication advantages. However, majority of the application-oriented research in this field has been limited to classical regime and it remains an open question if these metasurfaces can be used for single-photon applications.
Here, we perform theoretical and experimental studies to quantify the role of metasurface induced tailored environment to control the quantum dynamics of color centers in hexagonal boron nitride. These color centers in semiconductors have garnered great interest because they can serve as single-photon sources, which are the building blocks for photonic quantum technologies. We investigate the fundamental properties of color centers in hexagonal boron nitride, such as saturation count, life-time etc. and investigate how these characteristics can be manipulated with metasurfaces.