Design of a vector multi-foci metalens for full stokes imaging polarimetry

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel inverse-designed multi-foci metalens capable of full Stokes polarimetry at 10.6 μm, achieving high efficiency and low error, surpassing traditional polarization filtering methods.

Contribution

It presents a fully integrated, high-efficiency metalens for simultaneous polarization separation and focusing, overcoming previous limitations in energy efficiency and polarization state restrictions.

Findings

Achieves an average efficiency of 54.63% for full Stokes polarimetry.

Demonstrates low average relative error of 0.00137%.

Surpasses the efficiency limits of traditional polarization filters.

Abstract

Imaging polarimetry based on dielectric metasurface is well-known for its ultra-compactness and high integration. However, previous works suffer from low energy efficiency, limited restrictions on choice of target polarization states, or inability to focus light. Here, by inverse design, we numerically demonstrate a multi-foci metalens-based polarimetry that can simultaneously separate and focus the four free-chosen elliptical polarization states at the wavelength of 10.6 \mu m. Such a full-stokes polarimetry features an average absolute efficiency up to 54.63%, and an average relative error as low as 0.00137%. This spatial-multiplexing-free full stokes polarimetry exceeds the theoretical maximum efficiency of traditional polarization-filtering counterparts, and resolves the restriction faced by the orthogonal polarization-multiplexed method.