Arbitrary Total Angular Momentum Vectorial Holography Using Bi‐Layer Metasurfaces

TL;DR

A new bi-layer metasurface design enables advanced holography by combining polarization and orbital angular momentum for more secure and high-capacity information processing.

Contribution

The introduction of a bi-layer metasurface architecture that enables true polarization–OAM multiplexing for TAM vectorial holography.

Findings

The bi-layer metasurface architecture enables independent generation of vectorial holographic images for each TAM state.

The proposed method is validated both numerically and experimentally.

The framework can be integrated with vector beam and bidirectional holography techniques.

Abstract

Advanced holographic techniques are increasingly demanded for high‐capacity and secure information processing. In this context, orbital angular momentum (OAM) stands out as a powerful resource for optical multiplexing, offering access to an unbounded set of orthogonal modes. To harness this potential, metasurfaces, with their considerable ability to control light, have emerged as key platforms for OAM‐multiplexed holography. Nevertheless, conventional OAM holography suffers from limited polarization engineering capabilities due to the lack of chirality control in single‐layer metasurfaces. Here, we introduce a bi‐layer metasurface architecture that realizes total angular momentum (TAM) vectorial holography, where TAM represents the combination of spin angular momentum (SAM, equivalent to polarization) and OAM of light. In contrast to previous approaches, this scheme enables true polarization–OAM multiplexing, facilitating the independent generation of vectorial holographic images for each orthogonal TAM input state. This concept is validated numerically and experimentally, confirming the feasibility of TAM vectorial holography. The proposed scheme can be easily integrated with other recent holography generation approaches, such as vector beam multiplexing and bidirectional holography, thereby further expanding its multiplexing capability. This work establishes a versatile framework for advanced full‐vectorial holography, showing how metasurfaces can unlock multiplexing strategies for emerging photonic systems.

A bi‐layer metasurface platform is presented for arbitrary total angular momentum vectorial holography, where polarization and orbital angular momentum are exploited as independent multiplexing dimensions. By overcoming symmetry limitations of single‐layer designs, the approach generates distinct vectorial holographic images for each orthogonal TAM state. The concept is numerically and experimentally validated and extended to vector‐beam and bidirectional holography.

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