Chen Hui-Feng, Tao Xin-Yu, Zhu Bo-Han, Pan Jin-Tao, Ma Ling-Ling, Chen Chao, Zhu Wen-Guo, Chen Wei, Lu Yan-Qing
National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures, Key Laboratory of Intelligent Optical Sensing and Manipulation, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Nanjing University, 210023, Nanjing, China.
Research Institute of Superconductor Electronics (RISE), School of Electronic Science and Engineering, Nanjing University, 210023, Nanjing, China.
Light Sci Appl. 2025 Sep 10;14(1):314. doi: 10.1038/s41377-025-01981-0.
Planar optical elements incorporating space-varying Pancharatnam-Berry phase have revolutionized the manipulation of light fields by enabling continuous control over amplitude, phase, and polarization. While previous research focusing on linear functionalities using apolar liquid crystals (LCs) has attracted much attention, extending this concept to the nonlinear regime offers unprecedented opportunities for advanced optical processing. Here, we demonstrate the reconfigurable nonlinear Pancharatnam-Berry LC diffractive optics in photopatterned ion-doped ferroelectric nematics. By customizing the spatial phase distribution of efficient second-harmonic excitation, we accomplish programmable beam steering of various optical states towards predefined diffraction directions. Experimental results reveal continuous evolution of diffraction orders, intensity distributions, and polarization states under electrically varying splay conditions, consistent with our theoretical predictions. This work opens new avenues for designing reconfigurable nonlinear beam shaping and steering devices with potential applications in advanced optical and quantum information processing.
包含空间变化的潘查拉特纳姆-贝里相位的平面光学元件，通过实现对光场的振幅、相位和偏振的连续控制，彻底改变了光场的操纵方式。虽然此前聚焦于使用非极性液晶（LC）的线性功能的研究备受关注，但将这一概念扩展到非线性领域为先进的光学处理提供了前所未有的机遇。在此，我们展示了在光图案化离子掺杂铁电向列相中可重构的非线性潘查拉特纳姆-贝里液晶衍射光学元件。通过定制高效二次谐波激发的空间相位分布，我们实现了将各种光学状态的可编程光束导向预定义的衍射方向。实验结果揭示了在电场变化的展曲条件下衍射级次、强度分布和偏振态的连续演变，与我们的理论预测一致。这项工作为设计可重构的非线性光束整形和转向装置开辟了新途径，在先进光学和量子信息处理中具有潜在应用。
