Full vectorial field sensing using liquid crystal droplet arrays

TL;DR

This paper presents a low-cost, compact liquid crystal droplet array sensor capable of simultaneously measuring the amplitude, phase, and polarization of light in a single shot, advancing optical field measurement technology.

Contribution

It introduces a novel liquid crystal droplet array sensor that enables full vectorial light field measurement with simultaneous, single-shot capability, combining division-of-wavefront polarimetry and wavefront sensing.

Findings

Accurately measures amplitude, phase, and polarization of complex light fields.

Demonstrates effective characterization of aberrated dual-wavelength beams.

Confirms the sensor's capability for precise optical field profile retrieval.

Abstract

Determining the amplitude, phase, and polarization profile of light is essential for both fundamental scientific discovery and applications spanning optical metrology, microscopy, astronomy, and optical communication/computing technologies. However, most modern measurement approaches are unable to retrieve such parameters readily, often relying on bulky and expensive hardware, or lacking the capability for single-shot sensing. Here, we introduce a low cost, compact, full vectorial field sensor based on an inkjet-printed nematic liquid crystal droplet array that enables simultaneous measurement of these important characteristics of light. Polarization and intensity are measured via division-of-wavefront polarimetry, exploiting the droplets' spatially varying birefringence, while the phase is reconstructed by treating each droplet as a separate microlens in a Shack-Hartmann-like wavefront sensor configuration. To demonstrate the system's performance, we characterize aberrated dual-wavelength beams carrying distinct intensity, phase, and polarization information, confirming accurate retrieval of the optical field profiles for both spectral components.