Inverse design of arbitrary optical helicity patterns

TL;DR

This paper introduces an inverse design method to create complex three-dimensional optical helicity patterns, including arbitrary images, using only a single plane wave input, advancing control over light's helicity in space.

Contribution

The authors develop a novel inverse design approach for constructing arbitrary optical helicity structures with dielectric inclusions, enabling complex helicity patterns from minimal input.

Findings

Successfully designed structures reproducing 2D helicity lattices

Created arbitrary helicity images with a single plane wave

Demonstrated high flexibility of the design method

Abstract

Superposing multiple plane waves can generate helicity lattices in which the optical helicity varies regularly in space. Here we propose an inverse design method for constructing arbitrary helicity structures based on placing a digital object of dielectric inclusions in three-dimensional space. We apply the method to design structures that reproduce two-dimensional lattices embedded within a three-dimensional region using only a single plane wave as an input. In order to demonstrate the power and flexibility of our method, we go beyond the paradigm of a regular lattice and propose structures that can create arbitrary images consisting of regions of varying helicity, again using only a single plane wave as an input.