Efficient way to convert propagating waves into guided waves via gradient wire structures

We propose a method for the design of gradient wire structures that are capable of converting propagating waves into guided waves along the wire. The conversion process is achieved by imposing an additional wave vector to the scattered waves via the gradient wire structure, such that the wave vector of scattered waves is beyond the wave number in the background medium. Thus, the scattered waves turn into evanescent waves. We demonstrate that two types of gradient wire structures, with either a gradient permittivity and a fixed radius, or a gradient radius and a fixed permittivity, can both be designed to realize such a wave conversion effect. The principle demonstrated in our work has potential applications in various areas including nanophotonics, silicone photonics, and plasmonics.

Polarization-independent and high-efficiency dielectric metasurfaces for visible light

Dielectric metasurfaces are capable of completely manipulating the phase, amplitude, and polarization of light with high spatial resolutions. The emerging design based on high-index and low-loss dielectrics has led to the realization of novel metasurfaces with high transmissions, but these devices usually operate at the limited bandwidth, and are sensitive to the incident polarization. Here, we report the realization of the polarization-independent and high-efficiency silicon metasurfaces spanning the visible wavelengths about 200 nm. The fabricated computer-generated meta-holograms exhibit a 90% diffraction efficiency, which are verified by gradient metasurfaces with measured efficiencies up to 93% at 670 nm, and exceeding 75% at the wavelengths from 600 to 800 nm for the two orthogonally polarized incidences. These dielectric metasurfaces effectively decouple the phase modulation from the polarization states and frequencies for visible light, which hold great potential for novel flat optical devices operating over a broad spectrum.

Multispectral Chiral Imaging with a Metalens

The vast majority of biologically active compounds, ranging from amino acids to essential nutrients such as glucose, possess intrinsic handedness. This in turn gives rise to chiral optical properties that provide a basis for detecting and quantifying enantio-specific concentrations of these molecules. However, traditional chiroptical spectroscopy and imaging techniques require cascading of multiple optical components in sophisticated setups. Here, we present a planar lens with an engineered dispersive response, which simultaneously forms two images with opposite helicity of an object within the same field-of-view. In this way, chiroptical properties can be probed across the visible spectrum using only the lens and a camera without the addition of polarizers or dispersive optical devices. We map the circular dichroism of the exoskeleton of a chiral beetle, Chrysina gloriosa, which is known to exhibit high reflectivity of left-circularly polarized light, with high spatial resolution limited by the numerical aperture of the planar lens. Our results demonstrate the potential of metasurfaces in realizing a compact and multifunctional device with unprecedented imaging capabilities.

Controllable optical activity with non-chiral plasmonic metasurfaces

Optical activity is the rotation of the plane of linearly polarized light along the propagation direction as the light travels through optically active materials. In existing methods, the strength of the optical activity is determined by the chirality of the materials, which is difficult to control quantitatively. Here we numerically and experimentally investigated an alternative approach to realize and control the optical activity with non-chiral plasmonic metasurfaces. Through judicious design of the structural units of the metasurfaces, the right and left circular polarization components of the linearly polarized light have different phase retardations after transmitting through the metasurfaces, leading to large optical activity. Moreover, the strength of the optical activity can be easily and accurately tuned by directly adjusting the phase difference. The proposed approach based on non-chiral plasmonic metasurfaces exhibits large optical activity with a high controllable degree of freedom, which may provide more possibilities for applications in photonics.

Coriolis effect and spin Hall effect of light in an inhomogeneous chiral medium

We theoretically investigate the spin Hall effect of spinning light in an inhomogeneous chiral medium. The Hamiltonian equations of the photon are analytically obtained within eikonal approximation in the noninertial orthogonal frame. Besides the usual spin curvature coupling, the chiral parameter enters the Hamiltonian as a spin-torsion-like interaction. We reveal that both terms have parallel geometric origins as the Coriolis terms of Maxwell's equations in nontrivial frames.

A review of metasurfaces: physics and applications

Metamaterials are composed of periodic subwavelength metal/dielectric structures that resonantly couple to the electric and/or magnetic components of the incident electromagnetic fields, exhibiting properties that are not found in nature. This class of micro- and nano-structured artificial media have attracted great interest during the past 15 years and yielded ground-breaking electromagnetic and photonic phenomena. However, the high losses and strong dispersion associated with the resonant responses and the use of metallic structures, as well as the difficulty in fabricating the micro- and nanoscale 3D structures, have hindered practical applications of metamaterials. Planar metamaterials with subwavelength thickness, or metasurfaces, consisting of single-layer or few-layer stacks of planar structures, can be readily fabricated using lithography and nanoprinting methods, and the ultrathin thickness in the wave propagation direction can greatly suppress the undesirable losses. Metasurfaces enable a spatially varying optical response (e.g. scattering amplitude, phase, and polarization), mold optical wavefronts into shapes that can be designed at will, and facilitate the integration of functional materials to accomplish active control and greatly enhanced nonlinear response. This paper reviews recent progress in the physics of metasurfaces operating at wavelengths ranging from microwave to visible. We provide an overview of key metasurface concepts such as anomalous reflection and refraction, and introduce metasurfaces based on the Pancharatnam-Berry phase and Huygens' metasurfaces, as well as their use in wavefront shaping and beam forming applications, followed by a discussion of polarization conversion in few-layer metasurfaces and their related properties. An overview of dielectric metasurfaces reveals their ability to realize unique functionalities coupled with Mie resonances and their low ohmic losses. We also describe metasurfaces for wave guidance and radiation control, as well as active and nonlinear metasurfaces. Finally, we conclude by providing our opinions of opportunities and challenges in this rapidly developing research field.

Metalenses at visible wavelengths: Diffraction-limited focusing and subwavelength resolution imaging

Subwavelength resolution imaging requires high numerical aperture (NA) lenses, which are bulky and expensive. Metasurfaces allow the miniaturization of conventional refractive optics into planar structures. We show that high-aspect-ratio titanium dioxide metasurfaces can be fabricated and designed as metalenses with NA = 0.8. Diffraction-limited focusing is demonstrated at wavelengths of 405, 532, and 660 nm with corresponding efficiencies of 86, 73, and 66%. The metalenses can resolve nanoscale features separated by subwavelength distances and provide magnification as high as 170×, with image qualities comparable to a state-of-the-art commercial objective. Our results firmly establish that metalenses can have widespread applications in laser-based microscopy, imaging, and spectroscopy.

Spin and wavelength multiplexed nonlinear metasurface holography

Metasurfaces, as the ultrathin version of metamaterials, have caught growing attention due to their superior capability in controlling the phase, amplitude and polarization states of light. Among various types of metasurfaces, geometric metasurface that encodes a geometric or Pancharatnam–Berry phase into the orientation angle of the constituent meta-atoms has shown great potential in controlling light in both linear and nonlinear optical regimes. The robust and dispersionless nature of the geometric phase simplifies the wave manipulation tremendously. Benefitting from the continuous phase control, metasurface holography has exhibited advantages over conventional depth controlled holography with discretized phase levels. Here we report on spin and wavelength multiplexed nonlinear metasurface holography, which allows construction of multiple target holographic images carried independently by the fundamental and harmonic generation waves of different spins. The nonlinear holograms provide independent, nondispersive and crosstalk-free post-selective channels for holographic multiplexing and multidimensional optical data storages, anti-counterfeiting, and optical encryption.

Metasurfaces offer an approach for computer generated holograms with good efficiency and ease of fabrication. Here, Ye et al. report on spin and wavelength multiplexed nonlinear metasurface holography, showing construction of holographic images using fundamental and harmonic generation waves of different spins.

Super-Dispersive Off-Axis Meta-Lenses for Compact High Resolution Spectroscopy

Metasurfaces have opened a new frontier in the miniaturization of optical technology by allowing exceptional control over the wavefront. Here, we demonstrate off-axis meta-lenses that simultaneously focus and disperse light of different wavelengths with unprecedented spectral resolution. They are designed based on the geometric phase via rotated silicon nanofins and can focus light at angles as large as 80°. Due to the large angle focusing, these meta-lenses have superdispersive characteristics (0.27 nm/mrad) that make them capable of resolving wavelength differences as small as 200 pm in the telecom region. In addition, by stitching several meta-lenses together, we maintain a high spectral resolution for a wider wavelength range. The meta-lenses have measured efficiencies as high as 90% in the wavelength range of 1.1 to 1.6 μm. The planar and compact configuration together with high spectral resolution of these meta-lenses has significant potential for emerging portable/wearable optics technology.

Enhancing photonic spin Hall effect via long-range surface plasmon resonance

We presented the significant enhancement of the photonic spin Hall effect by taking advantage of long-range surface plasmon resonance (LRSPR). The influence of the thicknesses of metal and dielectric layers in the insulator-metal-insulator structure which supports LRSPR was investigated. Under the optimal parameter setup, the largest transverse separation with a 632.8 nm incident Gaussian beam reaches 7.85 μm, which is much larger than previous reported values.

Graphene as a Tunable Anisotropic or Isotropic Plasmonic Metasurface

We demonstrate a tunable plasmonic metasurface by considering a graphene sheet subject to a periodically patterned doping level. The unique optical properties of graphene result in electrically tunable plasmons that allow for extreme confinement of electromagnetic energy in the technologically significant regime of THz frequencies. Here, we add an extra degree of freedom by using graphene as a metasurface, proposing to dope it with an electrical gate patterned in the micron or submicron scale. By extracting the effective conductivity of the sheet, we characterize metasurfaces periodically modulated along one or two directions. In the first case, and making use of the analytical insight provided by transformation optics, we show an efficient control of THz radiation for one polarization. In the second case, we demonstrate a metasurface with an isotropic response that is independent of wave polarization and orientation.

Independent modulations of the transmission amplitudes and phases by using Huygens metasurfaces

We propose ultrathin Huygens metasurfaces to control transmission amplitudes and phases of electromagnetic waves independently, in which each unit cell is comprised of an electric dipole and a magnetic dipole. By altering the electric and magnetic responses of unit cells, arbitrary complex transmission coefficients with modulus values smaller than 0.85 are obtained. Two Huygens metasurfaces capable of controlling the diffraction orders are designed and fabricated by modulating the distributions of the complex transmission coefficients. More complicated functions such as holographic imaging can also be accomplished by using the proposed Huygens metasurfaces.

Control of photo-induced voltages in plasmonic crystals via spin-orbit interactions

There is wide interest in understanding and leveraging the nonlinear plasmon-induced potentials of nanostructured materials. We investigate the electrical response produced by spin-polarized light across a large-area bottom-up assembled 2D plasmonic crystal. Numerical approximations of the Lorentz forces provide quantitative agreement with our experimentally-measured DC voltages. We show that the underlying mechanism of the spin-polarized voltages is a gradient force that arises from asymmetric, time-averaged hotspots, whose locations shift with the chirality of light. Finally, we formalize the role of spin-orbit interactions in the shifted intensity patterns and significantly advance our understanding of the physical phenomena, often related to the spin Hall effect of light.

On-chip noninterference angular momentum multiplexing of broadband light

Angular momentum division has emerged as a physically orthogonal multiplexing method in high-capacity optical information technologies. However, the typical bulky elements used for information retrieval from the overall diffracted field, based on the interference method, impose a fundamental limit toward realizing on-chip multiplexing. We demonstrate noninterference angular momentum multiplexing by using a mode-sorting nanoring aperture with a chip-scale footprint as small as 4.2 micrometers by 4.2 micrometers, where nanoring slits exhibit a distinctive outcoupling efficiency on tightly confined plasmonic modes. The nonresonant mode-sorting sensitivity and scalability of our approach enable on-chip parallel multiplexing over a bandwidth of 150 nanometers in the visible wavelength range. The results offer the possibility of ultrahigh-capacity and miniaturized nanophotonic devices harnessing angular momentum division.

Visible-Frequency Metasurface for Structuring and Spatially Multiplexing Optical Vortices

A multifocus optical vortex metalens, with enhanced signal-to-noise ratio, is presented, which focuses three longitudinal vortices with distinct topological charges at different focal planes. The design largely extends the flexibility of tuning the number of vortices and their focal positions for circularly polarized light in a compact device, which provides the convenience for the nanomanipulation of optical vortices.

Phenomenological modeling of geometric metasurfaces

Metasurfaces, with their superior capability in manipulating the optical wavefront at the subwavelength scale and low manufacturing complexity, have shown great potential for planar photonics and novel optical devices. However, vector field simulation of metasurfaces is so far limited to periodic-structured metasurfaces containing a small number of meta-atoms in the unit cell by using full-wave numerical methods. Here, focusing on achiral meta-atoms only with electric polarizability and thickness far less than the wavelength of light, and ignoring the coupling between meta-atoms, we propose a general phenomenological method to analytically model the metasurfaces based on the assumption that the meta-atoms possess localized resonances with Lorentz-Drude forms, whose exact form can be retrieved from the full wave simulation of a single element. Applied to phase modulated geometric metasurfaces constituted by identical meta-atoms with different orientations, our analytical results show good agreement with full-wave numerical simulations. The proposed theory provides an efficient method to model and design optical devices based on metasurfaces.

Spin-orbit coupling of light in asymmetric microcavities

When spinning particles, such as electrons and photons, undergo spin-orbit coupling, they can acquire an extra phase in addition to the well-known dynamical phase. This extra phase is called the geometric phase (also known as the Berry phase), which plays an important role in a startling variety of physical contexts such as in photonics, condensed matter, high-energy and space physics. The geometric phase was originally discussed for a cyclically evolving physical system with an Abelian evolution, and was later generalized to non-cyclic and non-Abelian cases, which are the most interesting fundamental subjects in this area and indicate promising applications in various fields. Here, we enable optical spin-orbit coupling in asymmetric microcavities and experimentally observe a non-cyclic optical geometric phase acquired in a non-Abelian evolution. Our work is relevant to fundamental studies and implies promising applications by manipulating photons in on-chip quantum devices.

Singular observation of the polarization-conversion effect for a gammadion-shaped metasurface

In this article, the polarization-conversion effects of a gammadion-shaped metasurface in transmission and reflection modes are discussed. In our experiment, the polarization-conversion effect of a gammadion-shaped metasurface is investigated because of the contribution of the phase and amplitude anisotropies. According to our experimental and simulated results, the polarization property of the first-order transmitted diffraction is dominated by linear anisotropy and has weak depolarization; the first-order reflected diffraction exhibits both linear and circular anisotropies and has stronger depolarization than the transmission mode. These results are different from previously published research. The Mueller matrix ellipsometer and polar decomposition method will aid in the investigation of the polarization properties of other nanostructures.

Longitudinal spin separation of light and its performance in three-dimensionally controllable spin-dependent focal shift

Spin Hall effect of light, which is normally explored as a transverse spin-dependent separation of a light beam, has attracted enormous research interests. However, it seems there is no indication for the existence of the longitudinal spin separation of light. In this paper, we propose and experimentally realize the spin separation along the propagation direction by modulating the Pancharatnam-Berry (PB) phase. Due to the spin-dependent divergence and convergence determined by the PB phase, a focused Gaussian beam could split into two opposite spin states, and focuses at different distances, representing the longitudinal spin separation. By combining this longitudinal spin separation with the transverse one, we experimentally achieve the controllable spin-dependent focal shift in three dimensional space. This work provides new insight on steering the spin photons, and is expected to explore novel applications of optical trapping, manipulating, and micromachining with higher degree of freedom.

Unveiling the photonic spin Hall effect with asymmetric spin-dependent splitting

The photonic spin Hall effect (SHE) manifests itself as the spin-dependent splitting of light beam. Usually, it shows a symmetric spin-dependent splitting, i.e., the left- and right-handed circularly polarized components are equally separated in position and intensity for linear polarization incidence. In this paper, we theoretically propose an asymmetric spin-dependent splitting at an air-glass interface under the illumination of elliptical polarization beam and experimentally demonstrate it with the weak measurement method. The left- and right-handed circularly polarized components show expectedly unequal intensity distributions and unexpectedly different spin-dependent shifts. Remarkably, the asymmetric spin-dependent splitting can be modulated by adjusting the handedness of incident polarization. The inherent physics behind this interesting phenomenon is attributed to the additional spatial Imbert-Fedorov shift. These findings offer us potential methods for developing new spin-based nanophotonic applications.

Metasurface-based broadband hologram with high tolerance to fabrication errors

With new degrees of freedom to achieve full control of the optical wavefront, metasurfaces could overcome the fabrication embarrassment faced by the metamaterials. In this paper, a broadband hologram using metasurface consisting of elongated nanoapertures array with different orientations has been experimentally demonstrated. Owing to broadband characteristic of the polarization-dependent scattering, the performance is verified at working wavelength ranging from 405 nm to 914 nm. Furthermore, the tolerance to the fabrication errors, which include the length and width of the elongated aperture, the shape deformation and the phase noise, has been theoretically investigated to be as large as 10% relative to the original hologram. We believe the method proposed here is promising in emerging applications such as holographic display, optical information processing and lithography technology etc.

Fano resonances from gradient-index metamaterials

Fano resonances – resonant scattering features with a characteristic asymmetric profile – have generated much interest, due to their extensive and valuable applications in chemical or biological sensors, new types of optical switches, lasers and nonlinear optics. They have been observed in a wide variety of resonant optical systems, including photonic crystals, metamaterials, metallic gratings and nanostructures. In this work, a waveguide structure is designed by employing gradient-index metamaterials, supporting strong Fano resonances with extremely sharp spectra. As the changes in the transmission spectrum originate from the interaction of guided modes from different channels, instead of resonance structures or metamolecules, the Fano resonances can be observed for both transverse electric and transverse magnetic polarizations. These findings are verified by fine agreement with analytical calculations and experimental results at microwave, as well as simulated results at near infrared frequencies.

Generation and detection of broadband multi-channel orbital angular momentum by micrometer-scale meta-reflectarray

We theoretically demonstrate the generation and detection of broadband multi-channel Orbital Angular Momentum(OAM) by a micrometer-scale meta-reflectarray. The meta-reflectarray composed of patterned silicon bars on a silver ground plane can be designed to realize phase modulation and work as chip-level OAM devices. Compared to traditional methods of OAM generation and detection, our approach shows superiorities of very compact structure size, broadband working wavelength (1250-1750 nm), high diffraction efficiency (~70%), simultaneously handling multiplex OAMs, and tunable reflection angle (0-45°). These fascinating advantages provides great potential applications in photonic integrated devices and systems for high-capacity and multi-channel OAM communication.

Hybrid bilayer plasmonic metasurface efficiently manipulates visible light

Metasurfaces operating in the cross-polarization scheme have shown an interesting degree of control over the wavefront of transmitted light. Nevertheless, their inherently low efficiency in visible light raises certain concerns for practical applications. Without sacrificing the ultrathin flat design, we propose a bilayer plasmonic metasurface operating at visible frequencies, obtained by coupling a nanoantenna-based metasurface with its complementary Babinet-inverted copy. By breaking the radiation symmetry because of the finite, yet small, thickness of the proposed structure and benefitting from properly tailored intra- and interlayer couplings, such coupled bilayer metasurface experimentally yields a conversion efficiency of 17%, significantly larger than that of earlier single-layer designs, as well as an extinction ratio larger than 0 dB, meaning that anomalous refraction dominates the transmission response. Our finding shows that metallic metasurface can counterintuitively manipulate the visible light as efficiently as dielectric metasurface (~20% in conversion efficiency in Lin et al.'s study), although the metal's ohmic loss is much higher than dielectrics. Our hybrid bilayer design, still being ultrathin (~λ/6), is found to obey generalized Snell's law even in the presence of strong couplings. It is capable of efficiently manipulating visible light over a broad bandwidth and can be realized with a facile one-step nanofabrication process.

Tunable graphene metasurfaces by discontinuous Pancharatnam-Berry phase shift

Metal-dielectric-graphene three-layer structures are proposed to improve the interaction of graphene micro- and nanostructures with incident waves, as the upper graphene cut-wire layer introduces a discontinuous Pancharatnam-Berry phase profile. A semi-analytical method based on the Jones calculus is conducted to investigate the conversion efficiency of cross-polarized light on this graphene metasurface for circularly polarized wave incidence, which predicts that the physical constraint (25%) of cross-coupling conversion efficiency for individual graphene layers can be overcome. Numerical simulations confirm the conclusion and demonstrate an efficiency as high as 60%. Based on this mechanism, high-efficiency anomalous reflection surfaces and flat focal mirrors are designed with the tunability of reflection angles and one order of magnitude improved focusing intensity. This method paves the way to engineering high-efficiency graphene metasurfaces for tunable electromagnetic wave manipulation.

Quasi-continuous metasurface for ultra-broadband and polarization-controlled electromagnetic beam deflection

Two-dimensional metasurface has attracted growing interest in recent years, owing to its ability in manipulating the phase, amplitude and polarization state of electromagnetic wave within a single interface. However, most existing metasurfaces rely on the collective responses of a set of discrete meta-atoms to perform various functionalities. In this paper, we presented a quasi-continuous metasurface for high-efficiency and broadband beam steering in the microwave regime. It is demonstrated both in simulation and experiment that the incident beam deviates from the normal direction after transmitting through the ultrathin metasurface. The efficiency of the proposed metasurface approximates to the theoretical limit of the single-layer metasurface in a broad frequency range, owing to the elimination of the circuit resonance in traditional discrete structures. The proposed scheme promises potential applications in broadband electromagnetic modulation and communication systems, etc.

Broadband chirality-coded meta-aperture for photon-spin resolving

The behaviour of light transmitted through an individual subwavelength aperture becomes counterintuitive in the presence of surrounding ‘decoration', a phenomenon known as the extraordinary optical transmission. Despite being polarization-sensitive, such an individual nano-aperture, however, often cannot differentiate between the two distinct spin-states of photons because of the loss of photon information on light-aperture interaction. This creates a ‘blind-spot' for the aperture with respect to the helicity of chiral light. Here we report the development of a subwavelength aperture embedded with metasurfaces dubbed a ‘meta-aperture', which breaks this spin degeneracy. By exploiting the phase-shaping capabilities of metasurfaces, we are able to create specific meta-apertures in which the pair of circularly polarized light spin-states produces opposite transmission spectra over a broad spectral range. The concept incorporating metasurfaces with nano-apertures provides a venue for exploring new physics on spin-aperture interaction and potentially has a broad range of applications in spin-optoelectronics and chiral sensing.

Nano-apertures cannot distinguish between distinct spin-states of photons because of information loss upon light-aperture interaction. Here, Du et al. report a subwavelength aperture integrated with metasurfaces which breaks spin degeneracy and produces opposite transmission spectra over a broad spectral range.

Fabrication of anisotropically arrayed nano-slots metasurfaces using reflective plasmonic lithography

Nanofabrication technology with high-resolution, high-throughput and low-cost is essential for the development of nanoplasmonic and nanophotonic devices. At present, most metasurfaces are fabricated in a point by point writing manner with electron beam lithography or a focused ion beam, which imposes a serious cost barrier with respect to practical applications. Near field optical lithography, seemingly providing a high-resolution and low-cost way, however, suffers from the ultra shallow depth and poor fidelity of obtained photoresist patterns due to the exponential decay feature of evanescent waves. Here, we propose a method of surface plasmonic imaging lithography by introducing a reflective plasmonic lens to amplify and compensate evanescent waves, resulting in the production of nano resist patterns with high fidelity, contrast and enhanced depth beyond that usually obtained by near field optical lithography. As examples, a discrete and anisotropically arrayed nano-slots mask pattern with different orientations and a size of 40 nm × 120 nm could be imaged in photoresist and transferred successfully onto a metal layer through an etching process. Evidence for the pattern quality is given by virtue of the fabricated metasurface lens devices showing good focusing performance in experiments. It is believed that this method provides a parallel, low-cost, high-throughput and large-area nanofabrication route for fabricating nanostructures of holograms, vortex phase plates, bio-sensors and solar cells etc.

Ultrathin niobium nanofilms on fiber optical tapers--a new route towards low-loss hybrid plasmonic modes

Due to the ongoing improvement in nanostructuring technology, ultrathin metallic nanofilms have recently gained substantial attention in plasmonics, e.g. as building blocks of metasurfaces. Typically, noble metals such as silver or gold are the materials of choice, due to their excellent optical properties, however they also possess some intrinsic disadvantages. Here, we introduce niobium nanofilms (~10 nm thickness) as an alternate plasmonic platform. We demonstrate functionality by depositing a niobium nanofilm on a plasmonic fiber taper, and observe a dielectric-loaded niobium surface-plasmon excitation for the first time, with a modal attenuation of only 3-4 dB/mm in aqueous environment and a refractive index sensitivity up to 15 μm/RIU if the analyte index exceeds 1.42. We show that the niobium nanofilm possesses bulk optical properties, is continuous, homogenous, and inert against any environmental influence, thus possessing several superior properties compared to noble metal nanofilms. These results demonstrate that ultrathin niobium nanofilms can serve as a new platform for biomedical diagnostics, superconducting photonics, ultrathin metasurfaces or new types of optoelectronic devices.

Broadband Hybrid Holographic Multiplexing with Geometric Metasurfaces

An effective way for broadband holographic multiplexing based on geometric metasurfaces is demonstrated by the integration of several recording channels into a single device. Each image can be individually addressed with a unique set of parameters, such as circular polarization, position, and angle. Such a technique paves the way for a wide range of applications related to optical patterning, encryption, and information processing.

A Tunable Dispersion-Free Terahertz Metadevice with Pancharatnam-Berry-Phase-Enabled Modulation and Polarization Control

It is extremely challenging to control the phase of light at will in free space. Here, Pancharatnam-Berry-phase-enabled, tunable phase control of free-space light is experimentally demonstrated in an ultrathin flexible dispersion-free metadevice. This metadevice enables the broadband conversion of linearly polarized light into any desired output polarization.

Mid-wave infrared metasurface microlensed focal plane array for optical crosstalk suppression

Spatial crosstalk is one of the fundamental drawbacks of diminishing pixel size in mid-wave infrared focal plane arrays (IR-FPAs). We proposed an IR-FPA using the concept of optical phase discontinuities for substantial optical crosstalk suppression. This IR-FPA consists of asymmetrically tailored V-shaped optical antennas. Full-wave simulations confirmed major improvements in narrowing the intensity distribution of incident light beam by over 30-folds and concentrating these distributions in the central pixel of IR-FPA by achieving optical crosstalks of <1%.

Active metasurface terahertz deflector with phase discontinuities

Metasurfaces provide great flexibility in tailoring light beams and reveal unprecedented prospects on novel functional components. However, techniques to dynamically control and manipulate the properties of metasurfaces are lagging behind. Here, for the first time to our knowledge, we present an active wave deflector made from a metasurface with phase discontinuities. The active metasurface is capable of delivering efficient real-time control and amplitude manipulation of broadband anomalous diffraction in the terahertz regime. The device consists of complementary C-shape split-ring resonator elements fabricated on a doped semiconductor substrate. Due to the Schottky diode effect formed by the hybrid metal-semiconductor, the real-time conductivity of the doped semiconductor substrate is modified by applying an external voltage bias, thereby effectively manipulating the intensity of the anomalous deflected terahertz wave. A modulation depth of up to 46% was achieved, while the characteristics of broadband frequency responses and constant deflected angles were well maintained during the modulation process. The modulation speed of diffraction amplitude reaches several kilohertz, limited by the capacitance and resistance of the depletion region. The scheme proposed here opens up a novel approach to develop tunable metasurfaces.

An ultrathin invisibility skin cloak for visible light

Metamaterial-based optical cloaks have thus far used volumetric distribution of the material properties to gradually bend light and thereby obscure the cloaked region. Hence, they are bulky and hard to scale up and, more critically, typical carpet cloaks introduce unnecessary phase shifts in the reflected light, making the cloaks detectable. Here, we demonstrate experimentally an ultrathin invisibility skin cloak wrapped over an object. This skin cloak conceals a three-dimensional arbitrarily shaped object by complete restoration of the phase of the reflected light at 730-nanometer wavelength. The skin cloak comprises a metasurface with distributed phase shifts rerouting light and rendering the object invisible. In contrast to bulky cloaks with volumetric index variation, our device is only 80 nanometer (about one-ninth of the wavelength) thick and potentially scalable for hiding macroscopic objects.

Topological Imbert-Fedorov Shift in Weyl Semimetals

The Goos-Hänchen (GH) shift and the Imbert-Fedorov (IF) shift are optical phenomena which describe the longitudinal and transverse lateral shifts at the reflection interface, respectively. Here, we predict the GH and IF shifts in Weyl semimetals (WSMs)-a promising material harboring low energy Weyl fermions, a massless fermionic cousin of photons. Our results show that the GH shift in WSMs is valley independent, which is analogous to that discovered in a 2D relativistic material-graphene. However, the IF shift has never been explored in nonoptical systems, and here we show that it is valley dependent. Furthermore, we find that the IF shift actually originates from the topological effect of the system. Experimentally, the topological IF shift can be utilized to characterize the Weyl semimetals, design valleytronic devices of high efficiency, and measure the Berry curvature.

Chirality-Dependent Hall Effect in Weyl Semimetals

We generalize a semiclassical theory and use the argument of angular momentum conservation to examine the ballistic transport in lightly doped Weyl semimetals, taking into account various phase-space Berry curvatures. We predict universal transverse shifts of the wave-packet center in transmission and reflection, perpendicular to the direction in which the Fermi energy or velocities change adiabatically. The anomalous shifts are opposite for electrons with different chirality, and they can be made imbalanced by breaking inversion symmetry. We discuss how to utilize local gates, strain effects, and circularly polarized lights to generate and probe such a chirality-dependent Hall effect.

Circularly polarised phosphorescent photoluminescence and electroluminescence of iridium complexes

Nearly all the neutral iridium complexes widely used as dopants in PhOLEDs are racemic mixtures; however, this study observed that these complexes can be separated into stable optically active Λ and ∆ isomers and that their chirality is an intrinsic property. The circularly polarised phosphorescent photoluminescence (CPPPL) signals of Λ/Δ isomers are perfect mirror images with opposite polarisation and equal intensity exhibiting a “handedness” for the polarisation. For the first time, we applied the Λ/Δ iridium isomers as emitters in OLEDs, and the circularly polarised phosphorescent electroluminescence (CPPEL) spectra reveal completely positive or negative broad peaks consistent with the CPPPL spectra. The results demonstrate that the Λ/Δ isomers have potential application for 3D OLEDs because they can exhibit high efficiency and luminance, and 3D display technology based on circularly polarised light is the most comfortable for the eyes.

Spin-selected focusing and imaging based on metasurface lens

Spin of light provides a route to control photons. Spin-based optical devices which can manipulate photons with different spin states are imperative. Here we experimentally demonstrated a spin-selected metasurface lens based on the spin-orbit interaction originated from the Pancharatnam-Berry (PB) phase. The optimized PB phase enables the light with different spin states to be focused on two separated points in the preset plane. Furthermore, the metasurface lens can perform the spin-selected imaging according to the polarization of the illuminating light. Such a spin-based device capacitates a lot of advanced applications for spin-controlled photonics in quantum information processing and communication based on the spin and orbit angular momentum.

Unveiling the photonic spin Hall effect of freely propagating fan-shaped cylindrical vector vortex beams

An intriguing photonic spin Hall effect (SHE) for a freely propagating fan-shaped cylindrical vector (CV) vortex beam in a paraxial situation is theoretically and experimentally studied. A developed model to describe this kind of photonic SHE is proposed based on angular spectrum diffraction theory. With this model, the close dependences of spin-dependent splitting on the azimuthal order of polarization, the topological charge of the spiral phase, and the propagation distance are accurately revealed. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that the asymmetric spin-dependent splitting of a fan-shaped CV beam can be consciously managed, even with a constant azimuthal order of polarization. Such a controllable photonic SHE is experimentally verified by measuring the Stokes parameters.

Flexible coherent control of plasmonic spin-Hall effect

The surface plasmon polariton is an emerging candidate for miniaturizing optoelectronic circuits. Recent demonstrations of polarization-dependent splitting using metasurfaces, including focal-spot shifting and unidirectional propagation, allow us to exploit the spin degree of freedom in plasmonics. However, further progress has been hampered by the inability to generate more complicated and independent surface plasmon profiles for two incident spins, which work coherently together for more flexible and tunable functionalities. Here by matching the geometric phases of the nano-slots on silver to specific superimpositions of the inward and outward surface plasmon profiles for the two spins, arbitrary spin-dependent orbitals can be generated in a slot-free region. Furthermore, motion pictures with a series of picture frames can be assembled and played by varying the linear polarization angle of incident light. This spin-enabled control of orbitals is potentially useful for tip-free near-field scanning microscopy, holographic data storage, tunable plasmonic tweezers, and integrated optical components.

Tunable mid-infrared coherent perfect absorption in a graphene meta-surface

Graphene has drawn considerable attention due to its intriguing properties in photonics and optoelectronics. However, its interaction with light is normally rather weak. Meta-surfaces, artificial structures with single planar function-layers, have demonstrated exotic performances in boosting light-matter interactions, e.g., for absorption enhancement. Graphene based high efficiency absorber is desirable for its potential applications in optical detections and signal modulations. Here we exploit graphene nanoribbons based meta-surface to realize coherent perfect absorption (CPA) in the mid-infrared regime. It was shown that quasi-CPA frequencies, at which CPA can be demonstrated with proper phase modulations, exist for the grapheme meta-surface with strong resonant behaviors. The CPA can be tuned substantially by merging the geometric design of the meta-surface and the electrical tunability of graphene. Furthermore, we found that the graphene nanoribbon meta-surface based CPA is realizable with experimentally achievable graphene sample.

Emergent Functionality and Controllability in Few-Layer Metasurfaces

Recent progress in metamaterial research has successfully exceeded the limitations imposed by conventional materials and optical devices, enabling the manipulation of electromagnetic waves as desired. The distinct characteristics and controlling abilities of metamaterials make them ideal candidates for novel photonics devices not only in traditional optics but also for biological detection, medical science, and metrology. However, the controllability and functionality of both single-layer metasurfaces and bulk metamaterials are not sufficient to meet the requirements of emerging technologies; hence, new solutions must be found. As such technologies advance, new functionalities will emerge as different or identical single-layer metasurfaces are combined. Thus, innovation in few-layer metasurfaces will become an increasingly important line of research. Here, these metasurfaces are classified according to their functionalities and the few-layer metasurfaces that have been proposed up to now are presented in a clear sequence. It is expected that, with further development in this area, few-layer metasurfaces will play an important role in the family of optical materials.

All-silicon nanorod-based Dammann gratings

Established diffractive optical elements (DOEs), such as Dammann gratings, whose phase profile is controlled by etching different depths into a transparent dielectric substrate, suffer from a contradiction between the complexity of fabrication procedures and the performance of such gratings. In this Letter, we combine the concept of geometric phase and phase modulation in depth, and prove by theoretical analysis and numerical simulation that nanorod arrays etched on a silicon substrate have a characteristic of strong polarization conversion between two circularly polarized states and can act as a highly efficient half-wave plate. More importantly, only by changing the orientation angles of each nanorod can the arrays control the phase of a circularly polarized light, cell by cell. With the above principle, we report the realization of nanorod-based Dammann gratings reaching diffraction efficiencies of 50%-52% in the C-band fiber telecommunications window (1530-1565 nm). In this design, uniform 4×4 spot arrays with an extending angle of 59°×59° can be obtained in the far field. Because of these advantages of the single-step fabrication procedure, accurate phase controlling, and strong polarization conversion, nanorod-based Dammann gratings could be utilized for various practical applications in a range of fields.

Control of optical spin Hall shift in phase-discontinuity metasurface by weak value measurement post-selection

Spin Hall effect of light is a spin-dependent transverse shift of optical beam propagating along a curved trajectory, where the refractive index gradient plays a role of the electric field in spin Hall effect of solid-state systems. In order to observe optical spin Hall shift in a refraction taking place at air-glass interface, an amplification technique was necessary such as quantum weak measurement. In phase-discontinuity metasurface (PMS) a rapid phase-change along metasurface takes place over subwavelength distance, which leads to a large refractive index gradient for refraction beam enabling a direct detection of optical spin Hall shift without amplification. Here, we identify that the relative optical spin Hall shift depends on incidence angle at PMS, and demonstrate a control of optical spin Hall shift by constructing weak value measurement with a variable phase retardance in the post-selection. Capability of optical spin Hall shift control permits a tunable precision metrology applicable to nanoscale photonics such as angular momentum transfer and sensing.

Helicity multiplexed broadband metasurface holograms

Metasurfaces are engineered interfaces that contain a thin layer of plasmonic or dielectric nanostructures capable of manipulating light in a desirable manner. Advances in metasurfaces have led to various practical applications ranging from lensing to holography. Metasurface holograms that can be switched by the polarization state of incident light have been demonstrated for achieving polarization multiplexed functionalities. However, practical application of these devices has been limited by their capability for achieving high efficiency and high image quality. Here we experimentally demonstrate a helicity multiplexed metasurface hologram with high efficiency and good image fidelity over a broad range of frequencies. The metasurface hologram features the combination of two sets of hologram patterns operating with opposite incident helicities. Two symmetrically distributed off-axis images are interchangeable by controlling the helicity of the input light. The demonstrated helicity multiplexed metasurface hologram with its high performance opens avenues for future applications with functionality switchable optical devices.

High-Efficiency All-Dielectric Metasurfaces for Ultracompact Beam Manipulation in Transmission Mode

Metasurfaces are two-dimensional structures enabling complete control on light amplitude, phase, and polarization. Unlike plasmonic metasurfaces, silicon structures facilitate high transmission, low losses, and compatibility with existing semiconductor technologies. We experimentally demonstrate two examples of high-efficiency polarization-sensitive dielectric metasurfaces with 2π phase control in transmission mode (45% transmission efficiency for the vortex converter and 36% transmission efficiency for the beam steering device) at telecommunication wavelengths. Silicon metasurfaces are poised to enable a versatile platform for the realization of all-optical circuitry on a chip.

Spectral mapping of thermal conductivity through nanoscale ballistic transport

Controlling thermal properties is central to many applications, such as thermoelectric energy conversion and the thermal management of integrated circuits. Progress has been made over the past decade by structuring materials at different length scales, but a clear relationship between structure size and thermal properties remains to be established. The main challenge comes from the unknown intrinsic spectral distribution of energy among heat carriers. Here, we experimentally measure this spectral distribution by probing quasi-ballistic transport near nanostructured heaters down to 30 nm using ultrafast optical spectroscopy. Our approach allows us to quantify up to 95% of the total spectral contribution to thermal conductivity from all phonon modes. The measurement agrees well with multiscale and first-principles-based simulations. We further demonstrate the direct construction of mean free path distributions. Our results provide a new fundamental understanding of thermal transport and will enable materials design in a rational way to achieve high performance.