Arbitrary polarization manipulation using terahertz chiral programmable metasurface

Abstract

Polarization holds immense potential for advanced communication and multi-channel imaging systems, yet its dynamic synthesis and control remain significant challenges. In this work, we design a polarized programmable metasurface to dynamically achieve arbitrary polarization synthesis and information transmission. Because of the phase-change property of VO2, the meta-atoms composed of a gold-VO2 bilayer ring act as a digital coding element. By taking advantage of different coding sequences, the programmable metasurface realizes desired polarization states of the reflected wave, including right-hand polarization, right-hand elliptical polarization, linear polarization, left-hand elliptical polarization, and left-hand polarization. Simultaneously, the coding information is transmitted by detecting the polarization state. It is worth noting that the polarization states dynamically change along the same meridian in the Poincaré sphere. The proposed polarized-programmable metasurface can be applied in polarization modulators, encrypted information transmission, and other fields.