Spin-dependent optics with metasurfaces

• Main Authors: Xiao Shiyi, Wang Jiarong, Liu Fu, Zhang Shuang, Yin Xiaobo, Li Jensen
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: De Gruyter 2017-01-01
• Series: Nanophotonics
• Subjects: geometric phase; metamaterials; metasurfaces; optical spin-hall effect; spin-orbit interaction
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1515/nanoph-2016-0121

Optical spin-Hall effect (OSHE) is a spin-dependent transportation phenomenon of light as an analogy to its counterpart in condensed matter physics. Although being predicted and observed for decades, this effect has recently attracted enormous interests due to the development of metamaterials and metasurfaces, which can provide us tailor-made control of the light-matter interaction and spin-orbit interaction. In parallel to the developments of OSHE, metasurface gives us opportunities to manipulate OSHE in achieving a stronger response, a higher efficiency, a higher resolution, or more degrees of freedom in controlling the wave front. Here, we give an overview of the OSHE based on metasurface-enabled geometric phases in different kinds of configurational spaces and their applications on spin-dependent beam steering, focusing, holograms, structured light generation, and detection. These developments mark the beginning of a new era of spin-enabled optics for future optical components.