Multi-beam interference metasurface generating 3D vector optical field arrays for chiral sensing

Chiral substances are widely present in nature, from macroscopic cosmic stars to microscopic biomolecules. The detection and preparation of chiral substances have always been a hot research topic. At present, there is an urgent need to develop a production method for chiral materials with a simple preparation process and low cost. In this paper, a multi-beam interference metasurface is developed to generate vector optical field (VOF) arrays, which can be used for the preparation and detection of chiral materials. The metasurface is designed, based on the geometric phase and transmission phase, to split one linearly polarized (LP) beam into 6 + 1 beams with different polarization characteristics and combine these beams to form three-dimensional (3D) VOF arrays. By comparing the results of multi-beam interference, electric magnetic simulation, and experimental measurement, a good agreement is obtained. Furthermore, by adjusting the phase gradient of the metasurface, the spatial distribution of VOF arrays can be flexibly changed. This investigation provides a simple, effective, and low-cost way for chiral fabrication, chiral sensing, and chiral information storage.