Four-Channel Imaging Based on Reconfigurable Metasurfaces: Hyperchaotic Encryption Under Physical Protection

Metasurfaces facilitate high-capacity optical information integration by simultaneously supporting near-field nanoprinting and far-field holography on a single platform. However, conventional multi-channel designs face critical security vulnerabilities for sensitive information due to insufficient encryption mechanisms. In this work, we propose a four-channel phase-change metasurface featuring algorithm-physical co-security—a dual-protection framework combining intrinsic metasurface physical security with chaotic encryption. Our polarization-multiplexed metasurface generates four optical imaging channels through meta-atom design, including two far-field holograms and two near-field patterns. To enhance system security, we apply Chen hyperchaotic encryption combined with the Logistic map and DNA encoding to convert near-field information into secure QR codes; far-field holograms are retained to demonstrate the metasurface’s information capacity and for attack detection. The phase-change metasurface further provides physical-layer security through its reconfigurable capability, dynamically controlling imaging channels via reversible crystalline-to-amorphous state transitions. This reconfigurability enhances anti-counterfeiting and reliability while demonstrating the physical security mechanism. The proposed metasurface achieves high-fidelity imaging, robust anti-attack performance, and independent channel control. This integrated approach pioneers a secure paradigm for high-density optical information processing.