arXiv subjects

Maryna L. Meretska

Publications and source records attributed to Maryna L. Meretska.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Hybrid BaTiO3/TiO2 Metasurface for Efficient Gigahertz-Speed Free-Space Electro-Optic Modulation

Free-space electro-optic modulators are key to emerging photonic systems, yet their performance remains limited by trade-offs between modulation efficiency, bandwidth, and device aperture. Here we report a hybrid BaTiO3 (BTO)/TiO2 metasurface for large-aperture, efficient, gigahertz-speed free-space electro-optic modulation. Combining scalable BTO film growth by radio-frequency magnetron sputtering with mature TiO2 nanofabrication, we pattern the metasurface in TiO2 on an unetched BTO layer. The resulting devices support guided-mode resonances with quality factors exceeding 1300 and an optical confinement factor of ~0.8, while the continuous BTO layer makes efficient use of the applied voltage, together maximizing the overlap between the optical and driving fields within the BTO. A device with a 0.3 mm x 0.3 mm metasurface achieves a transmittance modulation efficiency of ~0.020 per volt and a -3 dB electro-optic bandwidth of ~0.8 GHz, with an effective Pockels coefficient of ~151 pm/V for the BTO. This establishes a scalable route to high-performance free-space electro-optic modulators for LiDAR, free-space optical communication, and reconfigurable optical computing.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2023

High-power laser beam shaping using a metasurface for shock excitation and focusing at the microscale

Achieving high repeatability and efficiency in laser-induced strong shock wave excitation remains a significant technical challenge, as evidenced by the extensive efforts undertaken at large-scale national laboratories to optimize the compression of light element pellets. In this study, we propose and model a novel optical design for generating strong shocks at a tabletop scale. Our approach leverages the spatial and temporal shaping of multiple laser pulses to form concentric laser rings on condensed matter samples. Each laser ring initiates a two-dimensional focusing shock wave that overlaps and converges with preceding shock waves at a central point within the ring. We present preliminary experimental results for a single ring configuration. To enable high-power laser focusing at the micron scale, we demonstrate experimentally the feasibility of employing dielectric metasurfaces with exceptional damage threshold, experimentally determined to be 1.1 J/cm2, as replacements for conventional optics. These metasurfaces enable the creation of pristine, high-fluence laser rings essential for launching stable shock waves in materials. Herein, we showcase results obtained using a water sample, achieving shock pressures in the gigapascal (GPa) range. Our findings provide a promising pathway towards the application of laser-induced strong shock compression in condensed matter at the microscale.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2023

Metasurface-enabled compact, single-shot and complete Mueller matrix imaging

When light scatters off an object its polarization, in general, changes - a transformation described by the object's Mueller matrix. Mueller matrix imaging polarimetry is an important technique in science and technology to image the spatially varying polarization response of an object of interest, to reveal rich information otherwise invisible to traditional imaging. In this work, we conceptualize, implement and demonstrate a compact and minimalist Mueller matrix imaging system - composed of a metasurface to produce structured polarization illumination, and a metasurface for polarization analysis - that can, in a single shot, acquire images for all sixteen components of an object's spatially varying Mueller matrix. Our implementation, which is free of any moving parts or bulk polarization optics, should enable and empower applications in real-time medical imaging, material characterization, machine vision, target detection, and other important areas.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2023

All-Optical tunability of metalenses infiltrated with liquid crystals

Metasurfaces have been extensively engineered to produce a wide range of optical phenomena, allowing unprecedented control over the propagation of light. However, they are generally designed as single-purpose devices without a modifiable post-fabrication optical response, which can be a limitation to real-world applications. In this work, we report a nanostructured planar fused silica metalens permeated with a nematic liquid crystal (NLC) and gold nanoparticle solution. The physical properties of embedded NLCs can be manipulated with the application of external stimuli, enabling reconfigurable optical metasurfaces. We report all-optical, dynamic control of the metalens optical response resulting from thermo-plasmonic induced changes of the NLC solution associated with the nematic-isotropic phase transition. A continuous and reversible tuning of the metalens focal length is experimentally demonstrated, with a variation of 80 um (0.16% of the 5 cm nominal focal length) along the optical axis. This is achieved without direct mechanical or electrical manipulation of the device. The reconfigurable properties are compared with corroborating numerical simulations of the focal length shift and exhibit close correspondence.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2022

Point singularity array with metasurfaces

Phase singularities are loci of darkness surrounded by monochromatic light in a scalar field, with applications in optical trapping, super-resolution imaging, and structured light-matter interactions. Although 1D singular structures, such as optical vortices, are the most common due to their robust topological properties, uncommon 0D (point) and 2D (sheet) singular structures can be generated by wavefront-shaping devices such as metasurfaces. Here, using the design flexibility of metasurfaces, we deterministically position ten identical point singularities in a cylindrically symmetric field generated by a single illumination source. The phasefront is inverse-designed using phase gradient maximization with an automatically-differentiable propagator. This process produces tight longitudinal intensity confinement. The singularity array is experimentally realized with a 1 mm diameter TiO2 metasurface. One possible application is blue-detuned neutral atom trap arrays, for which this light field would enforce 3D confinement and a potential depth around 0.22 mK per watt of incident trapping laser power. Metasurface-enabled point singularity engineering may significantly simplify and miniaturize the optical architecture required to produce super-resolution microscopes and dark traps.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2022

Topologically protected four-dimensional optical singularities

Optical singularities play a major role in modern optics and are frequently deployed in structured light, super-resolution microscopy, and holography. While phase singularities are uniquely defined as locations of undefined phase, polarization singularities studied thus far are either partial, i.e., bright points of well-defined polarization, or unstable for small field perturbations. We demonstrate for the first time a complete, topologically protected polarization singularity; it is located in the 4D space spanned by the three spatial dimensions and the wavelength and is created in the focus of a cascaded metasurface-lens system. The field Jacobian plays a key role in the design of such higher-dimensional singularities, which can be extended to multidimensional wave phenomena, and pave the way to novel applications in topological photonics and precision sensing.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2021

Gigahertz free-space electro-optic modulators based on Mie resonances

Electro-optic modulators from non-linear $χ^{(2)}$ materials are essential for sensing, metrology and telecommunications because they link the optical domain with the microwave domain. At present, most geometries are suited for fiber applications. In contrast, architectures that modulate directly free-space light at gigahertz (GHz) speeds have remained very challenging, despite their dire need for active free-space optics, in diffractive computing or for optoelectronic feedback to free-space emitters. They are typically bulky or suffer from much reduced interaction lengths. Here, we employ an ultrathin array of sub-wavelength Mie resonators that support quasi bound states in the continuum (BIC) as a key mechanism to demonstrate electro-optic modulation of free-space light with high efficiency at GHz speeds. Our geometry relies on hybrid silicon-organic nanostructures that feature low loss ($Q = $ 550 at $λ_{res} = 1594$ nm) while being integrated with GHz-compatible coplanar waveguides. We maximize the electro-optic effect by using high-performance electro-optic molecules (whose electro-optic tensor we engineer in-device to exploit $r_{33} = 100$ pm/V) and by nanoscale optimization of the optical modes. We demonstrate both DC tuning and high speed modulation up to 5~GHz ($f_{EO,-3 dB} =3$ GHz) and shift the resonant frequency of the quasi-BIC by $Δλ_{res}=$11 nm, surpassing its linewidth. We contrast the properties of quasi-BIC modulators by studying also guided mode resonances that we tune by $Δλ_{res}=$20 nm. Our approach showcases the potential for ultrathin GHz-speed free-space electro-optic modulators.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2019

Universal Validity Ranges of Diffusion Theory for Light and Other Electromagnetic Waves

The well-known diffusion theory describes propagation of light and electromagnetic waves in complex media. While diffusion theory is known to fail both for predominant forward scattering or strong absorption, its precise range of validity has never been established. Therefore we present precise, universal limits on the scattering properties, beyond which diffusion theory yields unphysical negative energy density and negative incident flux. When applying diffusion theory to samples outside validity ranges to {\it infer} scattering properties from transmission and reflection, the resulting transport parameters deviate by up to an order of magnitude compared to the true ones. These discrepancies are relevant to atmospheric and climate sciences, biophysics and health sciences, white LEDs and lighting, and Anderson localization of waves.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2019

Systematic design of the color point of a white LED

Lighting is a crucial technology that is used every day. The introduction of the white light emitting diode (LED) that consists of a blue LED combined with a phosphor layer, greatly reduces the energy consumption for lighting. Despite the fast-growing market white LED's are still designed using slow, numerical, trial-and-error algorithms. Here we introduce a radically new design principle that is based on an analytical model instead of a numerical approach. Our design model predicts the color point for any combination of design parameters. In addition the model provides the reflection and transmission coefficients - as well as the energy density distribution inside the LED - of the scattered and re-emitted light intensities. To validate our model we performed extensive experiments on an emblematic white LED and found excellent agreement. Our model provides for a fast and efficient design, resulting in reduction of both design and production costs.

physics.optics↗