Tunable nanoantennas with liquid crystals: dynamic wavefront control with sub-wavelength resolution

Abstract

Nanostructured surfaces with engineered electromagnetic response, so called metasurfaces, are a very active topic of research in the nanophotonics community, stemming from their ability to manipulate the light wavefront at will with unparalleled resolution. Currently, one of the main limitations of this kind of devices is their static character, i.e., the fact that their functionality (e.g. focusing light, steering light, etc.) becomes fixed upon fabrication. To circumvent this issue, significant efforts are being made to achieve dynamic control of these devices by different means, one of the most promising being interfacing them with liquid crystals. \n \nIn this talk, we will present our recent results in this direction, towards achieving dynamic control over each individual nanoantenna of the metasurface, as to realize the next generation of Spatial Light Modulators with sub-wavelength resolution, with broad applications in areas such as near-eye and holographic displays or LIDAR.