Spin-orbit angular momentum conversion in metamaterials and metasurfaces

Abstract

In the last decades, unprecedented progress in the manipulation of the spin angular momentum (SAM) and orbital angular momentum (OAM) of light has been achieved, enabling a number of applications, ranging from classical and quantum communication to optical microscopy and super-resolution imaging. Metasurfaces are artificially engineered 2D metamaterials with designed subwavelength-size building blocks, which allow the precise control of optical fields with unparalleled flexibility and performance. The reduced dimensionality of optical metasurfaces enables new physics and leads to functionalities and applications that are remarkably different from those achievable with bulk materials. In this review, we present an overview of the progress in optical metasurfaces for the manipultation of SAM and OAM of light, for applications in integrated spin-orbit conversion (SOC) devices.