Polychromatic digital optics for structured light

Descripción del proyecto

Un modulador espacial de luz de alta eficiencia en el espectro visible

Los moduladores espaciales de luz son un tipo de dispositivos ópticos que ejercen alguna forma de modulación espacialmente variables en un haz de luz. Los dispositivos de última generación funcionan eficazmente solo en una longitud de onda determinada. El objetivo del proyecto BB-SLM, financiado por las Acciones Marie Skłodowska-Curie, es desarrollar un modular espacial de luz controlado digitalmente que demostrará una alta eficiencia en todo el espectro visible. Para lograrlo, se combinará un desfasador geométrico acromático con la reflexión circular de Bragg de cristales líquidos quirales modulados espacialmente. Las estructuras topológicas intrínsecamente robustas que aparecen espontáneamente en los sistemas de materia blanda, como los cristales líquidos, permiten controlar la interacción entre el estado de polarización de la luz y sus grados de libertad espaciales.

Objetivo

The development of photonics technologies implies ever-increasing agile optical components operating enabling the manipulation of the spatial degrees of freedom of light over broad spectral ranges. To date, spatial light modulators is a class of digital optical devices offering versatile management of light, however, state-of-the-art devices are operating efficiently only at a given wavelength. Here we propose to develop a digitally controlled spatial light modulator combining efficiency with intrinsically broadband behavior spanning the whole visible spectrum. This will be accomplished by integrating the advantage of spin controlled achromatic geometric Berry phase with broadband polarization-dependent circular Bragg reflection from spatially modulated chiral liquid crystals. Despite more than a century-long history of liquid crystals, the first report on the accumulation of Berry phase due to Bragg reflection came only very recently from the research group lead by the host scientist. The proposed two-year project to develop spatial light-modulators based on this basic physical principle. By doing so, we aim at controlling the interaction between the polarization state of light with its spatial degrees of freedoms (i.e. the spin-orbit interaction of light) by exploiting the inherently robust and diverse topological structures that spontaneously appear in anisotropic soft condensed matter systems such as liquid crystals. In particular, we will take advantage of both the self-organization orientational processes occurring in liquid crystals and their extreme sensitivity to external fields. By implementing a recently demonstrated physical concepts into a novel generation of spin-orbit optical devices enabling spatial control of the optical phase over a broad spectral range, this project will offer further possible applications for advanced photonic technologies, for instance in optical data processing, optical imaging and optical manipulation.