Four-directional linear polarization ghost imaging based on multi-focal metalens

Area of Science:

• Optics
• Computational Imaging
• Materials Science

Background:

• Computational ghost imaging (CGI) offers a unique approach to image acquisition.
• Metalenses provide a compact and versatile platform for optical manipulation.
• Polarization information is crucial for characterizing various materials and phenomena.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel imaging system combining a multi-focal metalens with polarization computational ghost imaging (PCGI).
• To enhance the efficiency and capabilities of PCGI through integration with a multifunctional metalens.
• To evaluate the performance and generalization capabilities of the proposed PCGI system.

Main Methods:

• A multi-focal metalens was designed and fabricated, integrating beam splitting, focusing, and polarization analysis.
• The metalens was integrated with a PCGI system to enable simultaneous acquisition of polarization components.
• System performance was evaluated by analyzing reconstruction quality under varying patterns, sampling ratios, and resolutions.

Main Results:

• The multi-focal metalens demonstrated a 17% increase in energy utilization efficiency and an extinction ratio of 113.5:1.
• The integrated PCGI system achieved aberration-free imaging and reduced acquisition time by 75%.
• High reconstruction quality (SSIM > 0.9) was maintained even at low sampling ratios and resolutions, demonstrating strong generalization.

Conclusions:

• The proposed method effectively combines multi-focal metalenses with PCGI for efficient, high-quality polarization imaging.
• The multifunctional metalens significantly enhances PCGI performance, reducing acquisition time and enabling simultaneous polarization analysis.
• The system shows robust performance and broad applicability across diverse imaging scenarios.