Miniature tunable Airy beam optical meta-device

Tunable Airy beams with controllable propagation trajectories have sparked interest in various fields, such as optical manipulation and laser fabrication. Existing research approaches encounter challenges related to insufficient compactness and integration feasibility, or they require enhanced tunability to enable real-time dynamic manipulation of the propagation trajectory. In this work, we present a novel method that utilizes a dual metasurface system to surpass these limitations, significantly enhancing the practical potential of the Airy beam. Our approach involves encoding a cubic phase profile and two off-axis Fresnel lens phase profiles across the two metasurfaces. The validity of the proposed strategy has been confirmed through simulation and experimental results. The proposed meta-device addresses the existing limitations and lays the foundation for broadening the applicability of Airy beams across diverse domains, encompassing light-sheet microscopy, laser fabrication, optical tweezers, etc.

© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Institute of Optics and Electronics, Chinese Academy of Sciences.