The full-range, high-sensitivity and integratable detection of circularly polarized light (CPL) is critically important for quantum information processing, advanced imaging systems and optical sensing technologies. However, mainstream CPL detectors rely on chiral absorptive materials, and thus suffer from limited response wavelengths, low responsivity and poor discrimination ratios. Here we present a chiral light detector by utilizing valley materials to observe the spin angular momentum carried by chiral light. Delicately designed centrosymmetric metamaterials that can preserve the sign of optical spin angular momentum and greatly enhance its intensity in the near field are harnessed as a medium to inject polarized electrons into valley materials, which are then detected by the valley Hall effect. This enables high-sensitivity infrared CPL detection at room temperature by valleytronic transistors, and the detection wavelength is extended to the infrared. This approach opens pathways for chiral light detection and provides insights into potential applications of valleytronics in optoelectronic sensing.

圆偏振光 （CPL） 的全范围、高灵敏度和可集成检测对于量子信息处理、高级成像系统和光学传感技术至关重要。然而，主流的 CPL 检测器依赖于手性吸收材料，因此响应波长有限、响应度低和鉴别率差。在这里，我们提出了一个手性光探测器，它利用谷材料来观察手性光携带的自旋角动量。巧妙设计的中心对称超材料可以保留光学自旋角动量的符号并大大增强其在近场的强度，以此为介质，将极化电子注入谷状材料，然后通过谷霍尔效应进行检测。这使得 valleytronic 晶体管能够在室温下进行高灵敏度红外 CPL 检测，并且检测波长扩展到红外。这种方法为手性光检测开辟了途径，并为 valleytronics 在光电传感中的潜在应用提供了见解。