Generating a multi-mode vortex beam based on spoof surface plasmon polaritons

Area of Science:

• Electromagnetics and Optics
• Metamaterials and Plasmonics
• Wireless Communication Technologies

Background:

• Vortex beams offer potential for next-generation wireless communication.
• Generating multi-mode and robust vortex beams remains a significant challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and experimentally verify a novel multi-mode vortex beam emitter.
• To address the challenge of creating robust, multi-mode vortex beams for communication.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing spoof surface plasmon polaritons (SSPP) on a helical grating to carry multi-mode orbital angular momentum.
• Converting SSPP into a high-purity vortex beam through diffraction by a ring array.
• Experimental verification of beam-scanning and vortex characteristics.

Main Results:

• Successfully demonstrated a compact and robust multi-mode vortex beam emitter.
• Verified that operation frequency and topological charge are tunable via SSPP.
• Confirmed the emitter's capability for beam-scanning across radiation bands.

Conclusions:

• The developed SSPP-based emitter effectively generates multi-mode vortex beams.
• The emitter's compact design, robustness, and beam-scanning capability are advantageous.
• This technology holds significant application potential for future communication systems.