He Chao, Shen Yijie, Forbes Andrew
Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PJ, UK.
Optoelectronics Research Centre, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK.
Light Sci Appl. 2022 Jul 5;11(1):205. doi: 10.1038/s41377-022-00897-3.
Structured light refers to the arbitrarily tailoring of optical fields in all their degrees of freedom (DoFs), from spatial to temporal. Although orbital angular momentum (OAM) is perhaps the most topical example, and celebrating 30 years since its connection to the spatial structure of light, control over other DoFs is slowly gaining traction, promising access to higher-dimensional forms of structured light. Nevertheless, harnessing these new DoFs in quantum and classical states remains challenging, with the toolkit still in its infancy. In this perspective, we discuss methods, challenges, and opportunities for the creation, detection, and control of multiple DoFs for higher-dimensional structured light. We present a roadmap for future development trends, from fundamental research to applications, concentrating on the potential for larger-capacity, higher-security information processing and communication, and beyond.
结构化光指的是对光场在从空间到时间的所有自由度上进行任意的剪裁。尽管轨道角动量（OAM）可能是最热门的例子，并且自其与光的空间结构建立联系以来已有30年，但对其他自由度的控制正逐渐受到关注，有望实现更高维度形式的结构化光。然而，在量子和经典状态下利用这些新的自由度仍然具有挑战性，相关工具集仍处于起步阶段。从这个角度出发，我们讨论了用于创建、检测和控制高维结构化光的多个自由度的方法、挑战和机遇。我们提出了一个从基础研究到应用的未来发展趋势路线图，重点关注大容量、高安全性信息处理与通信及其他方面的潜力。
