Digitalizing Self-Assembled Chiral Superstructures for Optical Vortex Processing.

Chen, Peng; Ma, Ling-Ling; Duan, Wei; Chen, Ji; Ge, Shi-Jun; Zhu, Zhi-Han; Tang, Ming-Jie; Xu, Ran et al. · Adv Mater · 2018

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

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.