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Full-parameter-modulated three-dimensional vectorial generalized vortex array

Xue Zhang, Yang Cui, Yanjie Chen, Xiaowei Li, Junjie Li, Wenqiao Shi, Jian Chen, Zhaogang Dong, Yongtian Wang, Cheng‐Wei Qiu, Shuang Zhang, Lingling Huang

2026Light Science & Applications6 citationsDOIOpen Access PDF

Abstract

Orbital angular momentum, as an important spatial degree of freedom of light, has prompted various promising applications. The recently proposed generalized vortex beams may further enhance the flexibility by utilizing customer-defined angular phase gradients, enabling intuitive graphic representation of mathematical operations and other interesting functionalities. Here, based on Dammann optimization, we propose and demonstrate a three-dimensional generalized vortex beam array using a single-layer metasurface, with all-parameter modulation including polarization, phase, angular momentum, and stereoscopic space. Furthermore, simultaneous vectorial modulation within each order can be endowed through joint optimization to achieve arbitrary polarization information distribution. This novel approach to generating the 3D generalized vortex beam array offers great flexibility in utilizing multiple degrees of freedom of light, further expanding the information capacity and spatial mode features and facilitating applications such as optical wireless broadcasting, optical communication encryption, structured beam manipulation, etc.

Topics & Concepts

PhysicsVortexOptical vortexSpatial light modulatorOpticsPolarization (electrochemistry)Degrees of freedom (physics and chemistry)Modulation (music)Flexibility (engineering)Light beamComputer sciencePhase modulationBeam (structure)Topology (electrical circuits)Representation (politics)Angular displacementWirelessOptical communicationCoupled mode theoryAngular momentumPhysical opticsBeam propagation methodAngular spectrum methodOrbital Angular Momentum in OpticsMetamaterials and Metasurfaces ApplicationsPlasmonic and Surface Plasmon Research
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