Qihao Han | Searcharxiv

arXiv2026

Drop-on-demand printed negative dielectric anisotropy liquid crystal droplets for adaptive complex beam manipulation and assessment

Adaptive manipulation of vectorial optical fields are important for optical metrology, imaging, and structured light related applications, yet existing approaches often rely on bulky or sequentially operated systems. Here we demonstrate an inkjet-printed negative dielectric anisotropy nematic liquid crystal droplet platform that unifies adaptive complex beam generation and full vectorial optical field sensing within a single printed architecture. For complex beam generation, voltage-driven director reconfiguration in the droplets produces tunable birefringence and wavelength-dependent polarization textures, including skyrmionic like optical fields. For adaptive full vectorial optical field sensing, the same droplet array enables spectral and polarization retrieval through wavelength-dependent intensity patterns and division-of-wavefront polarimetry, while also functioning as a microlens array for Shack Hartmann wavefront sensing to reconstruct phase. These results establish negative dielectric anisotropy liquid crystal droplets as a scalable soft-matter photonic system for adaptive beam manipulation and multidimensional optical field characterization.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2025

Multiplexed vector beam conversion via complex structured matter

Structured light, in which the amplitude, phase, and polarization of an optical field are deliberately tailored in space and time, has enabled unprecedented control over optical fields, paving the way for diverse applications across photonics and optical engineering. However, the prevailing design philosophy, which predominantly focuses on converting a single fixed input into a single desired output, relies on tunability to achieve time-division multiplexing rather than intrinsic design, and is fundamentally incompatible with wavelength-division multiplexing. Here, we propose a general framework for designing structured matter capable of achieving multiple input-output relations simultaneously, thereby enabling passive devices to realize both time-division and wavelength-division multiplexing. Using Stokes skyrmions, which have recently gained attention for their topological properties and promising applications in modern optical communication and computing, as an example, we demonstrate that a simple retarder-diattenuator-retarder cascade can be designed to simultaneously satisfy three arbitrary input-output relations, enabling diverse functionalities within a single passive element. This approach enables complex and multiplexed manipulation of topological numbers, paving the way for high-dimensional on-chip photonic computing based on optical skyrmions.

physics.optics↗