Work

Quantum-inspired superposition and nonseparable states of reconfigurable metasurfaces in classical systems

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Classical and quantum bits serve as cornerstones in the field of information science. With the rapid development of this field, the classical and quantum bits are complementing and inspiring to each other. Here, we explore intermediate states between the classical and quantum bits in a reconfigurable time-varying metasurface, and demonstrate their superposition and nonseparable properties through theoretical analysis and experiments. To implement two quantum-inspired states in the classical system, we develop a reconfigurable time-varying metasurface that can synthesize the superposition states across the temporal dimension and the nonseparable states across the spatial and polarization dimensions. Due to the unique features of superposition and nonseparability, the proposed metasurface holds great potentials to enhance the information processing capabilities beyond those offered by the classical information metasurface. This work not only offers a reconfigurable and scalable physical platform to advance the classical and quantum information, but also will enable novel wave phenomena and provide new perspectives in the fields of information science, quantum physics and material science.

Source: Nature Communications

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-67253-y