Arbitrary polarization generation in magneto-optical metasurfaces enabled by bound states in the continuum
Abstract
The generation of arbitrary polarization states of light is essential for optical communication and photonic information processing. Photonic crystal and metasurface platforms supporting bound states in the continuum (BICs) provide a powerful route for polarization engineering by tailoring the radiation from the resonant modes. However, existing approaches typically rely on static structural symmetry breaking or off-normal radiation, which limits continuous polarization tuning of vertical radiation. Here, we demonstrate a magneto-optical metasurface that generates arbitrary polarization states of light at normal radiation. By applying an external magnetic field with variable orientation, a symmetry-protected BIC is transformed into a quasi-BIC whose radiation polarization can be continuously tuned. The magneto-optical perturbation drives the controlled migration of polarization singularities in momentum space, allowing the emitted states to continuously span the entire Poincaré sphere without structural modification. This approach establishes a compact platform for actively tunable polarization sources and polarization-encoded photonic devices.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Metamaterials and Metasurfaces Applications
Plasmonic and Surface Plasmon Research
Photonic Crystals and Applications
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Optics Letters
- Publisher
- Optica Publishing Group
- Volume
- 51
- Issue
- 10
- Pages
- 2884–2884
- Publication date
- 24 April 2026
- Language
- EN