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arXiv · 2511.08696

Full vectorial field sensing using liquid crystal droplet arrays

Xuke Qiu·Jinge Guo·Jiahe Cui·Runchen Zhang·Zimo Zhao·Yifei Ma·Waqas Kamal·Steve J. Elston·Alfonso A. Castrejón-pita·Stephen M. Morris·Chao He
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Abstract

Determining the amplitude, phase, and polarization profile of light is essential for both fundamental scientific discovery and applications spanning optical metrology, microscopy, astronomy, and optical communication/computing technologies. However, most modern measurement approaches are unable to retrieve such parameters readily, often relying on bulky and expensive hardware, or lacking the capability for single-shot sensing. Here, we introduce a low cost, compact, full vectorial field sensor based on an inkjet-printed nematic liquid crystal droplet array that enables simultaneous measurement of these important characteristics of light. Polarization and intensity are measured via division-of-wavefront polarimetry, exploiting the droplets' spatially varying birefringence, while the phase is reconstructed by treating each droplet as a separate microlens in a Shack-Hartmann-like wavefront sensor configuration. To demonstrate the system's performance, we characterize aberrated dual-wavelength beams carrying distinct intensity, phase, and polarization information, confirming accurate retrieval of the optical field profiles for both spectral components.

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Xuke Qiu, Jinge Guo, Jiahe Cui, Runchen Zhang, Zimo Zhao, Yifei Ma, Waqas Kamal, Steve J. Elston, Alfonso A. Castrejón-pita, Stephen M. Morris, Chao He. 2025-11-11. Full vectorial field sensing using liquid crystal droplet arrays. https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.08696

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