Generalized polarization transformations with metasurfaces

Abstract

Metasurfaces are arrays of sub-wavelength spaced nanostructures, which can be designed to control the many degrees-of-freedom of light on an unprecedented scale. In this work, we design meta-gratings where the diffraction orders can perform general, arbitrarily specified, polarization transformation without any reliance on conventional polarization components, such as waveplates and polarizers. We use matrix Fourier optics to design our devices and introduce a novel approach for their optimization. We implement the designs using form-birefringent metasurfaces and quantify their behavior - retardance and diattenuation. Our work is of importance in applications, such as polarization abberation correction in imaging systems, and in experiments requiring novel and compact polarization detection and control. (C) 2021 Optical Society of America under the terms of the OSA Open Access Publishing Agreement