Optical Binary Operator Based on Thermally Controllable Chiral Superstructures

By harnessing multiple dimensions of light to implement mathematical functions, structured optical materials introduce a twist in the paradigm of optical informatics, shifting from "displaying with light" to "computing with light". One vital subset of mathematical operators is binary operators, whose output depends on two inputs, such as Boolean logic. Herein, we propose and demonstrate an optical binary operator based on thermally controllable chiral nanostructures. By engineering the anisotropic and chiral materials, the output is determined by the interplay between two inputs; furthermore, the accompanying Pancharatnam-Berry phase unlocks additional computing functionalities. The customized modulation of the orbital angular momentum and intensity distribution of light enables binary operations on integers and images. The tunable operating spectrum spans an ultrawide range over 1600 nm from the visible to the near-infrared region. This study reveals new opportunities for soft matter and may facilitate diverse applications in machine vision and optical artificial intelligence.