Full Complex-Amplitude Modulation of Surface Waves Based on Spin-Decoupled Metasurface

Abstract

This work proposes a method for surface wave (SW) coupling along with flexible complex amplitude modulation of its wavefront. The linearly polarized incident plane wave is coupled into the surface mode with complex wavefront by exploiting the spin-decouple nature of a reflective chiral meta-atom. As verification, two kinds of metasurface couplers are designed. The first kind contains two examples for SW airy beam generation with and without deflection under linearly polarized illumination, respectively. The second kind is a bi-functional device capable of SW focusing under left-handed circularly polarized illumination, and propagating wave deflection under right-handed circularly polarized illumination, respectively, to verify the fundamental spin-decoupled character. Simulated and experimental results are in good agreement. We believe that this method provides a flexible approach for complex SW applications in integrated optics, optical sensing, and other related fields.