Wavelength-independent optical fully differential operation based on the spin–orbit interaction of light
Shanshan He,
Junxiao Zhou,
Shizhen Chen,
Weixing Shu,
Hailu Luo,
Shuangchun Wen
Affiliations
Shanshan He
Laboratory for Spin Photonics, School of Physics and Electronics, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China
Junxiao Zhou
Laboratory for Spin Photonics, School of Physics and Electronics, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China
Shizhen Chen
Laboratory for Spin Photonics, School of Physics and Electronics, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China
Weixing Shu
Key Laboratory for Micro-/Nano-Optoelectronic Devices of Ministry of Education, School of Physics and Electronics, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China
Hailu Luo
Laboratory for Spin Photonics, School of Physics and Electronics, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China
Shuangchun Wen
Key Laboratory for Micro-/Nano-Optoelectronic Devices of Ministry of Education, School of Physics and Electronics, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China
Optical technology may provide important architectures for future computing, such as analog optical computing and image processing. Compared with traditional electric operation, optical operation has shown some unique advantages including faster operating speeds and lower power consumption. Here, we propose an optical full differentiator based on the spin–orbit interaction of light at a simple optical interface. The optical differential operation is independent of the wavelength due to the purely geometric nature of the phenomenon. As an important application of the fully differential operation, the wavelength-independent image processing of edge detection is demonstrated. By adjusting the polarization of the incident beam, the one-dimension edge imaging at any desirable direction can be obtained. The wavelength-independent image processing of edge detection provides possible applications in autonomous driving, target recognition, microscopic imaging, and augmented reality.
