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

Abstract

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.

Keywords

• plasmonic metasurface
• randomly interleaved
• multidirectional beam-steering
• spin-controlled
• all-polarization generation