Independent Complex Amplitude Manipulation of Arbitrary Nonorthogonal Polarization States via Liquid Crystals

Liquid crystal (LC) optical devices are pivotal in planar optics, yet their limited degrees of freedom constrain the realization of advanced photonic functionalities. Here, we present a macro-pixel architecture driven by optical interference, which exploits interpixel light-field coupling to expand the degrees of freedom within the Jones matrix, enabling decoupled and independent control over multidimensional optical parameters. As a demonstration, we designed an LC device featuring four degrees of freedom in its Jones matrix. Specifically, by tuning the amplitude and phase of the basis vectors along with their superposition coefficients, we achieved independent encoding of near- and far-field information under amplitude, phase, and polarization decoupling. Crucially, our approach maintains compatibility with industrial photoalignment processes while delivering metasurface-level performance, effectively bridging the inherent cost-effectiveness of LC platforms with sophisticated multidimensional light-field control. This work not only overcomes the current limitations of single-pixel LC designs but also lays a foundation for next-generation LC devices with advanced functionalities, paving the way for their broad adoption in planar optics.