Full vectorial field sensing using liquid crystal droplet arrays
physics.optics
/ Authors
Xuke Qiu, Jinge Guo, Jiahe Cui, Runchen Zhang, Zimo Zhao, Yifei Ma, Waqas Kamal, Steve J. Elston, Alfonso A. Castrejón-pita, Stephen M. Morris
and 1 more author
/ 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.