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A reconfigurable arbitrary retarder array as complex structured matter

Author

Listed:
  • Chao He

    (Parks Road)

  • Binguo Chen

    (Tsinghua University)

  • Zipei Song

    (Parks Road)

  • Zimo Zhao

    (Parks Road)

  • Yifei Ma

    (Parks Road)

  • Honghui He

    (Tsinghua University)

  • Lin Luo

    (Peking University)

  • Tade Marozsak

    (Parks Road)

  • An Aloysius Wang

    (Parks Road)

  • Rui Xu

    (Peking University)

  • Peixiang Huang

    (Peking University)

  • Jiawen Li

    (Tsinghua University)

  • Xuke Qiu

    (Parks Road)

  • Yunqi Zhang

    (Parks Road)

  • Bangshan Sun

    (Parks Road)

  • Jiahe Cui

    (Parks Road)

  • Yuxi Cai

    (Parks Road)

  • Yun Zhang

    (Chinese Academy of Social Sciences)

  • Andong Wang

    (Parks Road)

  • Mohan Wang

    (Parks Road)

  • Patrick Salter

    (Parks Road)

  • Julian AJ Fells

    (Parks Road)

  • Ben Dai

    (The Chinese University of Hong Kong)

  • Shaoxiong Liu

    (Huazhong University of Science and Technology Union Shenzhen Hospital)

  • Limei Guo

    (Peking University Third Hospital)

  • Yonghong He

    (Tsinghua University)

  • Hui Ma

    (Tsinghua University)

  • Daniel J. Royston

    (University of Oxford
    Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust)

  • Steve J. Elston

    (Parks Road)

  • Qiwen Zhan

    (University of Shanghai for Science and Technology)

  • Chengwei Qiu

    (National University of Singapore)

  • Stephen M. Morris

    (Parks Road)

  • Martin J. Booth

    (Parks Road)

  • Andrew Forbes

    (Private Bag 3)

Abstract

Tuneable retarder arrays, such as spatially patterned liquid crystal devices, have given rise to impressive photonic functionality, fuelling diverse applications ranging from microscopy and holography to encryption and communications. Presently these solutions are limited by the controllable degrees of freedom of structured matter, hindering applications that demand photonic systems with high flexibility and reconfigurable topologies. Here we demonstrate a compound modulator that implements a synthetic tuneable arbitrary retarder array as virtual pixels derived by cascading low functionality tuneable devices, realising full dynamic control of its arbitrary elliptical axis geometry, retardance value, and induced phase. Our approach offers unprecedented functionality that is user-defined and possesses high flexibility, allowing our modulator to act as a new beam generator, analyser, and corrector, opening an exciting path to tuneable topologies of light and matter.

Suggested Citation

  • Chao He & Binguo Chen & Zipei Song & Zimo Zhao & Yifei Ma & Honghui He & Lin Luo & Tade Marozsak & An Aloysius Wang & Rui Xu & Peixiang Huang & Jiawen Li & Xuke Qiu & Yunqi Zhang & Bangshan Sun & Jiah, 2025. "A reconfigurable arbitrary retarder array as complex structured matter," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 16(1), pages 1-8, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:16:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-025-59846-4
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-59846-4
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