Digitalizing Self-Assembled Chiral Superstructures for Optical Vortex Processing.

Cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC) chiral superstructures exhibit unique features; that is, polychromatic and spin-determined phase modulation. Here, a concept for digitalized chiral superstructures is proposed, which further enables the arbitrary manipulation of reflective geometric phase and may significantly upgrade existing optical apparatus. By encoding a specifically designed binary pattern, an innovative CLC optical vortex (OV) processor is demonstrated. Up to 25 different OVs are extracted with equal efficiency over a wavelength range of 116 nm. The multiplexed OVs can be detected simultaneously without mode crosstalk or distortion, permitting a polychromatic, large-capacity, and in situ method for parallel OV processing. Such complex but easily fabricated self-assembled chiral superstructures exhibit versatile functionalities, and provide a satisfactory platform for OV manipulation and other cutting-edge territories. This work is a vital step towards extending the fundamental understanding and fantastic applications of ordered soft matter.