Cascaded partitioned phase modulation for cross-connection of orbital angular momentum mode and polarization multiplexing channels.

Multi-dimensional orbital angular momentum (OAM) mode multiplexing provides a promising route for enlarging communication capacity and establishing comprehensive networks. While multi-dimensional multiplexing has gained advancements, the cross-connection of these multiplexed channels, especially involving modes and polarizations, remains challenging due to the needs for multi-mode interconversion and on-demand polarization control. Herein, we propose an OAM mode-polarization cross-transformation solution via cascaded partitioned phase modulation, which enables the divergently separated OAM modes to be independently phase-imposed within distinct spatial regions, leading to the synergistic conversion operation of mode and polarization channels. In demonstrations, we implemented the cross-connection of three OAM modes and two polarization multiplexed channels, achieving the mode purity that exceeds 0.951 and polarization contrast up to 0.947. The measured mode insertion losses and polarization conversion losses are below 3.42 and 3.54 dB, respectively. Consequently, 1.2 Tbit/s quadrature phase shift keying signals were successfully exchanged, yielding the bit-error-rates close to 10-6. Incorporating with increased partitioned phase treatments, this approach shows promise in accommodating massive mode-polarization multiplexed channels, which hold the potential to augment networking capability of large-scale OAM mode multiplexing communication networks.

Cross-connection of multiplexed cylindrical vector beams using off-axis spin-decoupled metasurfaces.

Cylindrical vector beam (CVB) multiplexing communication demands effective mode cross-connection techniques to establish communication networks. While methods like polarized grating and coordinate transformation have been developed for (de)multiplexing CVB modes, challenges persist in the cross-connection of these multiplexed mode channels, including multi-mode conversion and inhomogeneous polarization control. Herein, we present an independent off-axis spin-orbit interaction strategy utilizing spin-decoupled metasurfaces. Cross-connection is achieved by encoding conjugated Dammann optical vortex grating phases onto the two orthogonal circularly polarized components of CVBs. Experimental results demonstrate the successful interconversion of four CVB modes (CVB+1 and CVB-2, CVB+2 and CVB-4) using a Si-based metasurface with a polarization conversion efficiency exceeding 85%. This facilitates the cross-connection of 200 Gbit/s quadrature phase-shift keying signals with bit-error-rates below 10-6. Offering advantages such as ultra-compact device size, flexible control of CVB modes, and multi-mode parallel processing, this approach shows promise in advancing the networking capabilities of CVB mode multiplexing communication networks.

Thickness-dependent in-plane shift of photonic spin Hall effect in an anisotropic medium.

As the in-plane spin splitting (IPSS) has a broad application for the precision measurement and sensing, it is extremely important to explore its enhancement mechanism via the photonic spin Hall effect (PSHE). However, for a multilayer structure, the thickness in most of previous works is generally set as a fixed value, lacking the deeply exploration of the influence of thickness on the IPSS. By contrast, here we demonstrate the comprehensive understanding of thickness-dependent IPSS in a three layered anisotropic structure. As thickness increases, near the Brewster angle, the enhanced in-plane shift exhibits a thickness-dependently periodical modulation, besides with much wider incident angle than that in an isotropic medium. While near the critical angle, it becomes thickness-dependently periodical or linear modulation under different dielectric tensors of the anisotropic medium, no longer keeps almost constant in an isotropic medium. In addition, as exploring the asymmetric in-plane shift with arbitrary linear polarization incidence, the anisotropic medium could bring more obvious and wider range of thickness-dependently periodical asymmetric splitting. Our results deepen the understanding of enhanced IPSS, which is expected to promise a pathway in an anisotropic medium for the spin control and integrated device based on PSHE.

Quadratic spin Hall effect of light due to phase change.

The spin Hall effect (SHE) of light has brought important applications, but the involved spin states only split in one direction. Here we employ an accurate three-dimensional model of light to show that the SHE generally exhibits quadratic spin splitting, i.e., both vertical and horizontal splitting, in the presence of a fast phase change of reflection. Further, we disclose that the two splittings are actually different from each other, and that they originate from the vertical and horizontal spin momentum flows, respectively, owing to the spatial gradient of polarization in the individual direction. Finally, it is found that by tuning the incident angle and polarization of light, one can manipulate the quadratic SHE so as to realize a variety of spin splittings, such as unbalanced quadratic splitting and off-center splitting of spin states.

Generalized Brewster angle-enhanced photonic spin Hall effect in an all-dielectric metasurface.

The enhancement of the photonic spin Hall effect (PSHE) is usually limited at horizontally polarized incidence and around the nonadjustable Brewster angle. In this Letter, a flexible method for enhancing the reflective PSHE with tunable incident angle under both vertically (V) and horizontally (H) polarized light has been theoretically explored. By using the multipole decomposition method, the variable generalized Brewster angle (GBA) is proven to be obtained under both V- and H-polarized light at different wavelengths in the all-dielectric metasurface. Then, owing to the large ratio of Fresnel coefficients at the GBA, the enhancement of PSHE in this Letter can not only be available for both V- and H-polarization, but also achieved at widely tunable incident angle and different operating wavelengths in the same metasurface. This work provides a simple method to achieve the flexible enhancement of PSHE and offers a novel way for designing a functional spin-based photonic device.

Ultrawide and unidirectional enhancements of a photonic spin Hall effect in a tilted uniaxial crystal.

Since the enhancement of the photonic spin Hall effect (PSHE) is limited around the Brewster's angle, the scientific problem of how to extend the range of incident angles and to keep them unidirectional for the enhanced PSHE remains open. Here, we propose an effective method to achieve the ultrawide angle and unidirectional enhancement of PSHE via the omnidirectional Brewster's effect in a tilted uniaxial crystal. By properly setting the permittivity and the optical axial angle of the uniaxial crystal, the omnidirectional Brewster's effect can be obtained to realize an ultrawide angle enhancement of the PSHE. Then, by appropriately deviating the optical axial angle, the ultrawide enhancement of the PSHE can be achieved within the maximum incident angle range of 60° with unchanged direction. These findings inspire an unprecedented route to facilitate the applications in precision measurement and spin-dependent devices.

Occurrence of halogenated methanesulfonic acids in water and sediment from the Hangzhou Bay, China.

Halogenated methanesulfonic acids (HMSAs) are an important new class of organic compounds as they were universal in the water cycle and drinking water sources. However, no study has investigated the presence of HMSAs in surface water and sediment from China. The present study reports the occurrence and spatiotemporal distribution of seven HMSAs in water and sediment samples from Hangzhou Bay, China. Trifluoromethanesulfonic acid (TFMSA) was the main contributor to the concentrations of HMSAs in water and sediment samples from spring, summer, autumn and winter which were 30.8-541 ng/L, n. d.-86.6 ng/L, 4.22-70.9 ng/L and 8.86-192 ng/L, separately, while in sediment samples were n. d.-11.1 ng/g, n. d.-12.9 ng/g, n. d.-22.5 ng/g, n. d.-4.60 ng/g, respectively. The levels of HMSAs in water from winter and spring were higher than those in summer and autumn, and the concentrations of the target HMSAs in water presents a seasonal pattern affected by the temperature, the precipitation and river flow variations. Nevertheless, the levels of HMSAs in sediment were highest in the area near the industrial area and the confluences of rivers. Correlation analysis revealed that the concentrations of TFMSA were significantly positively correlated with total organic carbon (TOC) in water samples. Although TFMSA is regarded as low toxic based on the EC50 value of acute toxicity, the potential risks to aquatic ecology should be paid more attention due to its high concentrations in the aquatic system and the environmental persistency.

Transformation from asymmetric spin splitting to symmetric spin splitting with phase compensation in photonic spin Hall effect.

Generally, when an arbitrary polarized light beam is reflected or refracted from an isotropic interface, the spin splitting in photonic spin Hall effect (SHE) shows asymmetry properties. In this paper, we theoretically propose a phase compensation scheme to achieve the transformation from asymmetric spin splitting to symmetric spin splitting in photonic SHE. We experimentally acquire the spin splitting after phase compensation in the case of a 45 degrees linear polarized Gaussian light beam totally internally reflected from a prism-air interface. Particularly, whether or not phase compensation, the transverse shift of total barycenter of reflected field [i.e., the Imbert-Fedorov (IF) shift] does not change. These findings can solve this problem that asymmetric spin splitting cannot be observed by weak measurements.

Optimal weak measurement in the photonic spin Hall effect for arbitrary linear polarization incidence.

The photonic spin Hall effect (SHE) has great potential in precision metrology due to its unique spin modulation characteristics. To improve its potential, the effective enhancement of detection precision has become an important issue. In this work, we theoretically and experimentally demonstrate the optimal weak measurement (optimal overlap of pre-selected and post-selected states) with arbitrary linear polarization incidence for both amplified transverse and in-plane shift. Also, based on photonic SHE, a method for arbitrary linear polarization angle detection is then proposed experimentally with a detection accuracy of 0.04 degree. It can provide a guidance for the weak measurement and enlarge the potential application of photonic SHE in field of precision measurement.

Wide-range electrically tunable photonic spin Hall effect in a quasi-PT-symmetric structure.

The photonic spin Hall effect (PSHE), manifesting itself as the spin-dependent shifts of left- and right-handed circularly polarized light beams, holds potential applications in nanophotonics and precision measurement. Thus, realizing effective enhancement and regulation of PSHE is highly desirable. It is known that by adjusting the Fermi energy of graphene, the spin shifts in a graphene-based optical structure can be actively modulated and amplified. However, this method generally works in a very narrow range of incident angles (near Brewster's angle) and the incident state is limited to the horizontal polarization. In this Letter, we address these issues by theoretically proposing a feasible way to amplify and control the PSHE in a wide range of incident angles by modulating the Fermi energy when the light beam is reflected at a quasi-PT-symmetric structure (gain-loss medium embedded with monolayer graphene). Interestingly, we reveal that the electrically tunable PSHE can be achieved for both horizontal and vertical polarizations near the quasi-exceptional points (quasi-EPs). Moreover, we can directly determine the tiny variation of the Fermi energy by observing the field distribution of a single circularly polarized component in this structure without using the weak measurements.

Role of in-plane shift in reconstructing the photonic spin Hall effect.

The photonic spin Hall effect (SHE) manifests itself as in-plane and transverse spin-dependent shifts of left- and right-handed circularly polarized (LCP, RCP) components and originates from the spin-orbit interaction (SOI) of light, where extrinsic orbital angular momentum (EOAM) can induce these shifts. However, previous studies mainly focus on the SOI corresponding to transverse shifts and generally consider the paraxial approximation case. In this Letter, we reconstruct a more general theory of the photonic SHE in the non-paraxial case and reveal that the induction of an in-plane shift mainly relies on the EOAM of the y direction, supplemented by the EOAM of the x and z directions under the laboratory coordinate system. In addition, the EOAM in the x and z directions completely determine the transverse shift. Moreover, the angular momentum conversion between the LCP and RCP components results in the angular momentum of the LCP (RCP) component of the incident Gaussian beam not being equal to the sum of the angular momentum of the LCP (RCP) component of the reflected and transmitted light. These findings explore the influence of in-plane shifts on the SOI of light and provide an in-depth understanding of the photonic SHE.

Weak measurements of the waist of an arbitrarily polarized beam via in-plane spin splitting.

As an important parameter to determine the transmission characteristics of a Gaussian beam, the beam waist holds a huge impact in laser technology and imaging systems. Although it is necessary to clearly measure the specific value of the beam waist, the traditional measurement steps are complex and easily introduce error in the measurement process. In this work, we propose an effective method using the in-plane spin splitting (IPSS) generated by the photonic spin Hall effect (PSHE) to precisely estimate the beam waist. We establish a highly sensitive propagation model to describe the relationship between the IPSS shifts and the beam waist of an arbitrary linearly polarized light and then combine with the quantum weak measurement system to amplify the IPSS shifts. We reveal that the IPSS shifts are sensitive to the variation of beam waists when the beam is reflected near the Brewster angle. With the huge amplified IPSS shifts (maximum of 1500 microns), the variation of beam waist can be accurately detected, even by propagation amplification alone. Prospectively, our scheme may provide an effective method for accurately determining the Gaussian beam waist of arbitrary polarization.

Enhanced photonic spin Hall effect via singularity induced by destructive interference.

In this work, we report a simple and effective method for enhancing the photonic spin Hall effect (SHE) via singularity induced by destructive interference in an ultrathin uniaxial slab. Deriving from anisotropy, the incident angles corresponding to destructive interference for p- and s-polarized waves will be deviated, leading to an enhancement peak in transverse spin shift. Interestingly, by adjusting the thickness of slab, the destructive interference and the Brewster effect can act together. At this point, the photonic SHE exhibits great singularity, and the maximum transverse spin shift can approach about three times more than that of the Brewster effect acting alone. This Letter reveals the influence of the interference effect on photonic SHE in layered media and provides a simple way to achieve enhanced photonic SHE.

Characterizing the Diffusion and Rheological Properties of Aged Asphalt Binder Rejuvenated with Bio-Oil Based on Molecular Dynamic Simulations and Laboratory Experimentations.

Soybean-derived bio-oil is one of the vegetable-based oils that is gaining the most interest for potential use in the rejuvenation of aged asphalt binders. This laboratory study was conducted to characterize and quantify the diffusion and rheological properties of bio-oil-rejuvenated aged asphalt binder (BRAA) using soybean oil. In the study, the chemical structure of the soybean oil was comparatively characterized using an element analyzer (EA), gel permeation chromatography (GPC), and a Fourier infrared (FTIR) spectrometer, respectively. Based on the chemical structure of the bio-oil, BRAA molecular models were built for computing the diffusion parameters using molecular dynamic simulations. Likewise, a dynamic shear rheometer (DSR) test device was used for measuring and quantifying the rheological properties of the aged asphalt binder rejuvenated with 0%, 1%, 2%, 3%, 4%, and 5% soybean oil, respectively. The laboratory test results indicate that bio-oil could potentially improve the diffusion coefficients and phase angle of the aged asphalt binder. Similarly, the corresponding decrease in the complex shear modulus has a positive effect on the low-temperature properties of BRAA. For a bio-oil dosage 4.0%, the diffusion coefficients of the BRAA components are 1.52 × 10-8, 1.33 × 10-8, 3.47 × 10-8, 4.82 × 10-8 and 3.92 × 10-8, respectively. Similarly, the corresponding reduction in the complex shear modulus from 1.27 × 107 Pa to 4.0 × 105 Pa suggests an improvement in the low-temperature properties of BRAA. Overall, the study contributes to the literature on the potential use of soybean-derived bio-oil as a rejuvenator of aged asphalt binders.

Vortex generation in the spin-orbit interaction of a light beam propagating inside a uniaxial medium: origin and efficiency.

It has been known that an optical vortex with a topological charge ±2 can be generated as a circularly polarized (CP) light beam propagates in a bulk uniaxial crystal, but its physical origin remains obscure which also hinders its practical applications. Here, through a rigorous full-wave analyses on the problem, we show that, as a CP beam possessing a particular spin (handedness) propagates inside a uniaxial crystal, two beams with opposite spins can be generated caused by the unique spin-sensitive light-matter interactions in the anisotropic medium. Flipping the spin can offer the light beam an vortex phase with a topological charge of ±2 owing to the Pancharatnam-Berry mechanism, with efficiency dictated by the material properties of the uniaxial medium and the topological structure of the beam itself. With its physical origin fully uncovered, we finally discuss how to improve the efficiency of such effect, and compare the mechanisms of vortex generations in different systems. Our findings not only provide deeper understandings on such an intriguing effect, but also shed light on other spin-orbit-interaction-induced effects.

Deep learning based atmospheric turbulence compensation for orbital angular momentum beam distortion and communication.

Atmospheric transmission distortion is one of the main challenges hampering the practical application of a vortex beam (VB) which carries orbital angular momentum (OAM). In this work, we propose and investigate a deep learning based atmospheric turbulence compensation method for correcting the distorted VB and improving the performance of OAM multiplexing communication. A deep convolutional neural network (CNN) model, which can automatically learn the mapping relationship of the intensity distributions of input and the turbulent phase, is well designed. After trained with loads of studying samples, the CNN model possesses a good generalization ability in quickly and accurately predicting equivalent turbulent phase screen, including the untrained turbulent phase screens. The results show that through correction, the mode purity of the distorted VB improves from 39.52% to 98.34% under the turbulence intensity of Cn2 = 1 × 10-13. Constructing an OAM multiplexing communication link, the bit-error-rate (BER) of the transmitted signals in each OAM channel is reduced by almost two orders of magnitude under moderate-strong turbulence, and the demodulated constellation diagram also converges well after compensated by the CNN model.

Tunable in-plane and transverse spin angular shifts in layered dielectric structure.

The photonic spin Hall effect (SHE) manifests itself as the spin-dependent spatial and angular shifts. There are some ways for controlling the spatial shifts, however, lacks an effective method for manipulating angular shifts. In this work, we propose a simple and effective way for manipulating the spin angular shifts in photonic SHE by considering the light beam reflected at the air-layered structure interface. We theoretically derive the general expressions of the in-plane and transverse spin angular shifts in this layered structure. It is found that the in-plane and transverse spin angular shifts can be effectively regulated by adjusting the structure parameters of layered model, including amplifying or suppressing the magnitude of the angular shifts and switching their signs. Interestingly, the in-plane angular shifts can be adjusted from spin-independent to spin-dependent or vice versa when the polarization state of the incident beam varies. Importantly, as for the incident beam with vertical polarization, a near-zero reflection angle similar to Brewster angle appears. In the vicinity of this point, the large spin angular shifts can be explored.

Spatial phase and polarization retrieval of arbitrary circular symmetry singular light beams using orthogonal polarization separation.

Circular symmetry singular light beams (CS-SLBs) possessing spatially variant field distributions have drawn extensive attention because of their unique optical properties. However, the extraction of spatial phase and polarization distributions is always a significant but difficult issue in CS-SLB applications. Here, we propose and experimentally investigate an orthogonal polarization separation (OPS) method to retrieve the spatial phase and polarization distributions of arbitrary CS-SLBs. Theoretically, the CS-SLB, including the vortex beam (VB), cylindrical vector beam (CVB), and cylindrical vector vortex beam (CVVB), can be decomposed into two orthogonal circularly polarized sub-VBs. Therefore, once the spatial phase distributions and initial phase difference of the two components are obtained, the phase and polarization distributions of the CS-SLB can be retrieved, and its type can also be identified. Based on this analysis relationship, we first separated the CS-SLB into two circularly polarized sub-VBs and designed an astigmatic phase iterative algorithm to restore their spatial phase information. After retrieving the phases of the two components, we have experimentally obtained the spatial phase and polarization distributions of three typical CS-SLBs, including VBs, CVBs, and CVVBs. These results demonstrate that this method provides a feasible way to retrieve the variant field distributions of CS-SLBs and may have great application prospects in optical imaging, optical communication, etc.

Large in-plane asymmetric spin angular shifts of a light beam near the critical angle.

The photonic spin Hall effect (SHE) manifests itself as the transverse and in-plane spin-dependent shifts of a light beam. Normally, the spin shifts are tiny due to the weak spin-orbit coupling. Therefore, it is very important and interesting to explore some effective methods for enhancing this phenomenon. In this Letter, we theoretically propose and experimentally verify a simple method for obtaining large and asymmetric in-plane spin angular shifts when an arbitrary linearly polarized beam reflects near the critical angle (for total internal reflection). The universal expressions of spatial and angular shifts are deduced. Remarkably, by modulating the incident and polarization angles, the left- and right-handed circularly polarized components can be distinguished directly.

Unveiling the spin Hall effect of light in Imbert-Fedorov shift at the Brewster angle with weak measurements.

The Imbert-Fedorov (IF) shift is defined as the transverse shift of barycenter of the entire beam when a circular or elliptically polarized incident beam is reflected. In this work, we examine the IF shift of Gaussian beam at the Brewster angle. Interestingly, the spin Hall effect of light takes place in the IF shift at the same time. Furthermore, this interesting phenomenon is experimentally observed using weak measurements. These findings may have useful applications in spin optics.