Structured Vector Field Manipulation of Terahertz Wave along the Propagation Direction Based on Dielectric Metasurfaces

Abstract The generation and manipulation of vector light fields are of great significance for both fundamental research and industrial applications of polarized optics. In recent years, the spatial domain control of structured vector fields has gradually expanded from two‐ to three‐dimensional, including traditional optics and meta‐optics. Here, a new method to generate and manipulate structured vector light fields along the propagation direction is proposed, and the functionality in terahertz band using all‐silicon metasurfaces is demonstrated. The coherent superposition of orthogonal circularly polarized terahertz waves through long focal depth and multifocal metalens is completed, and varying phase differences between them in the propagation direction via path accumulation or initial phase design are introduced, thereby continuous variation or independently designed vector polarization distributions in multiple planes are obtained. It is worth mentioning that the proposed scheme is not only for the design of transverse electric field components, but also shows a strong ability for manipulation of the longitudinal component. This scheme realizes the polarization distribution designs of three‐dimensional vector fields in three‐dimensional space, and provides a new inspiration for the generation and manipulation of vector beams based on meta‐optics.