Spin-controlled generation of a complete polarization set with randomly-interleaved plasmonic metasurfaces

Optical metasurfaces,comprising subwavelength quasi-planar nanostructures,constitute a universal platform for manipulating the amplitude,phase,and polarization of light,thus paving a way for the next generation of highly integrated multifunctional optical devices.In this work,we introduce a reflective metasurface for the generation of a complete(angularly resolved)polarization set by randomly interleaving anisotropic plasmonic meta-atoms acting as nanoscale wave plates.In the proof-of-concept demonstration,we achieve multidirectional beam-steering into different polarization channels forming a complete set of polarization states,which can also be dynamically altered by switching the spin of incident light.The developed design concept represents a significant advancement in achieving flat polarization optics with advanced functionalities.

Dynamically controlling terahertz wavefronts with cascaded metasurfaces

Dynamically controlling terahertz(THz)wavefronts in a designable fashion is highly desired in practice.However,available methods working at microwave frequencies do not work well in the THz regime due to lacking suitable tunable elements with submicrometer sizes.Here,instead of locally controlling individual meta-atoms in a THz metasurface,we show that rotating different layers(each exhibiting a particular phase profile)in a cascaded metadevice at different speeds can dynamically change the effective Jonesmatrix property of the whole device,thus enabling extraordinary manipulations on the wavefront and polarization characteristics of a THz beam impinging on the device.After illustrating our strategy based on model calculations,we experimentally demonstrate two proof-of-concept metadevices,each consisting of two carefully designed all-silicon transmissive metasurfaces exhibiting different phase profiles.Rotating two metasurfaces inside the fabricated devices at different speeds,we experimentally demonstrate that the first metadevice can efficiently redirect a normally incident THz beam to scan over a wide solid-angle range,while the second one can dynamically manipulate both the wavefront and polarization of a THz beam.Our results pave the way to achieving dynamic control of THz beams,which is useful in many applications,such as THz radar,and bio-and chemical sensing and imaging.