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Proximity Induced Chiral Quantum Light Generation in Strain-Engineered WSe2/NiPS3 Heterostructures

Quantum light emitters (QEs) capable of generating single photons of well-defined circular polarization could enable non-reciprocal single photon devices and deterministic spin-photon interfaces critical for realizing complex quantum networks. To date, emission of such chiral quantum light has been achieved via the application of intense external magnetic field electrical/optical injection of spin polarized carriers/excitons, or coupling with complex photonic/meta-structures. Here we report free-space generation of highly chiral single photons from QEs created in monolayer WSe2 - NiPS3 heterostructures at zero external magnetic field. These QEs emit in the 760-800 nm range with a degree of circular polarization and single photon purity as high as 0.71 and 80% respectively, independent of pump laser polarization. QEs are deterministically created by pressing a scanning probe microscope tip into a two-dimensional heterostructure comprising a WSe2 monolayer and a ~50 nm thick layer of the antiferromagnetic (AFM) insulator NiPS3. Temperature dependent magneto-photoluminescence studies indicate that the chiral quantum light emission arises from magnetic proximity interactions between localized excitons in the WSe2 monolayer and the out-of-plane magnetization of AFM defects in NiPS3, both of which are co-localized by the strain field arising from the nanoscale indentations.