Rice researchers, led by Junichiro Kono, engineered a novel photonic-crystal cavity integrating lightly doped indium antimonide to preferentially enhance vacuum fluctuations of circularly polarized light in a single direction. This innovation circumvents the heavy magnetic field requirements of previous approaches, preserving material integrity and enabling practical quantum optical applications. The design advances control over light-matter interactions, potentially impacting quantum information and nanophotonics industries.