Multifunctional Optical Vortex Beam Generator via Cross-Phase Based on Metasurface

Nanomaterials (Basel). 2022 Feb 15;12(4):653. doi: 10.3390/nano12040653.

Abstract

We propose a multifunctional optical vortex beam (OVB) generator via cross-phase based on a metasurface. Accordingly, we separately investigate the two different propagation characteristics of OVB modulated by the low-order cross-phase (LOCP) and the high-order cross-phase (HOCP) in a self-selected area. When LOCP modulation is added to OVB, topological charges can be measured for any order of OVB. Moreover, we achieve the rotation tunable performance successfully by adding the rotation component. Then, we realize the function of polygonal beam generation and singularities regulation with the HOCP. The order of the HOCP is exactly equal to the number of a polygon OVB's sides. The waist radius and usable width of the beam lengthens as the distance of the self-selected area increases. When the conversion rate is doubled, the distance between singularities widens by about 0.5 μm. The proposed OVB generator provides a simple strategy for detecting the value of topological charges and achieving OVB shaping and singularity manipulation simultaneously. We hope this can open new horizons for promoting the development of photon manipulation, optical communication, and vortex beam modulation.

Keywords: cross-phase; multifunctional metasurfaces; optical vortex.