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Metasurfaces have gained a considerable amount of interest in the past decade for their capabilities to manipulate electromagnetic (EM) waves in different manners. They have offered multiple functionalities in terms of wave control depending on the given application. In terms of wave control, particularly EM beam splitting, it can be challenging compared to the given literature review, to achieve a wide number of beam-splitting reflections and coverage for multiple incident angles simultaneously. In this paper, we focus on the design of a metasurface based on the methodology of high periodicity supercell design (5.76 λ) and impedance modulation to achieve a various number of beam-splitting angles, while maintaining the same coverage at multiple incident angles for millimeter-wave (mm-Wave) frequencies. Following the generalized phase law of reflection alongside proper optimization of the surface impedance, the proposed reflective anomalous beam splitter (RABS) metasurface is designed to be polarization independent, and high reflection efficiency is achieved with a wave beam split into 11 different directions while operating for multiple incident angles simultaneously, making it a promising candidate to overcome challenges for various mm-Wave communication applications, especially in expanding 5G coverage in non-line of sight regions at a 28 GHz frequency band. The performance of the RABS metasurface is evaluated using both full-wave simulations and experimental measurements, which demonstrate its effectiveness in achieving 11 efficient reflective anomalous beams with a reflection efficiency of up to 96.65% and 97.36% in TE and TM modes at 28 GHz. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silicon carbide fiber reinforced silicon carbide ceramic matrix composite (CMC SiC f /SiC) has the advantages of high temperature resistance, corrosion resistance, high strength, low density, and oxidation resistance. It is a high-performance advanced material in aerospace, energy and other fields. However, due to its high hardness, brittleness and anisotropy of fiber structure, the research on application-oriented high-quality processing technology has become a hot issue. In this paper, a new process of rotational thirteen-beam coupling nanosecond laser processing of CMC-SiC f /SiC was studied. The rotational thirteen-beam coupling ablation experiments were carried out on CMC-SiC f /SiC workpiece. A laser beam is divided into thirteen beams and rotated around the beam center by using a beam splitter element. The morphology, structure and composition of ablation holes at different speeds were observed and analyzed by laser confocal microscope, scanning electron microscope, and X-ray energy dispersive spectrometer. It is found that the characteristics of rotational beam coupling have a significant effect on the laser ablation morphologies. The results show that the ablation region of CMC-SiC f /SiC is elliptical due to the fast heat transfer of fibers. The energy density distribution of the waist section of the Gaussian like beam after beam coupling is similar to the "W" shape, and the central energy is lower than the surrounding energy, and the ablation holes also show a similar "W" shape. With the increase of rotational speed, the hole depth first decreased and then increased, the hole diameter and roundness first increased and then decreased, and the hole section was "W" shaped. The ablation area can be divided into five parts: the white granular SiO 2 solid coverage area, the recast layer, the lower recast layer, the molten layer, and the heat affected zone. The rotational characteristics will make the reaction intensity of the whole ablation area more uniform in the circumferential direction. The formation mechanism and element distribution of each part were explored. The research work in this paper will provide a new technical way for the high-performance application of CMC-SiC f /SiC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of optical topological insulators (PTIs) has revealed intriguing optical properties that diversify the ways in which light can be manipulated, offering significant potential for a wide range of applications. This paper presents a machine learning (ML)-based approach for the reverse design of optical PTIs. Using finite element methods, the paper addresses the challenge of computing the band structure of a dual-band model, enabling the construction of a dataset suitable for ML training. With the goal of maximizing dual-band bandgaps, the study employs the random forest algorithm to predict target parameters and further designs topological edge states. Leveraging these boundary state patterns, two different optical PTI beam splitters are devised, and their transmission coefficients and losses are computed. The results demonstrate that optical devices designed using topological boundary states exhibit enhanced stability and robustness. This approach offers a reliable solution for applications in fields such as optical communication and optical sensing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, handheld and portable terahertz instruments have been in rapid development for various applications ranging from non-destructive testing to biomedical imaging and sensing. For instance, we have deployed our Portable Handheld Spectral Reflection (PHASR) Scanners for in vivo full-spectroscopic imaging of skin burns in large animal models in operating room settings. In this paper, we debut the polarimetric version of the PHASR Scanner, and describe a generalized calibration technique to map the spatial and spectral dependence of the Jones matrix of an imaging scanner across its field of view. Our design is based on placement of two orthogonal photoconductive antenna (PCA) detectors separated by a polarizing beam splitter in the PHASR Scanner housing. We show that as few as three independent measurements of a well-characterized polarimetric calibration target are sufficient to determine the polarization state of the incident beam at the sample location, as well as to extract the Jones propagation matrix from the sample location to the detectors. We have tested the accuracy of our scanner by validating polarimetric measurements obtained from a birefringent crystal rotated to various angles, as compared to the theoretically predicted response of the sample. This new version of our PHASR scanner can be used for high-speed imaging and investigation of heterogeneity of polarization-sensitive samples in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quasi-continuous-phase metasurfaces overcome the side effects imposed by high-order diffraction on imaging and can impart optical parameters such as amplitude, phase, polarization, and frequency to incident light at sub-wavelength scales with high efficiency. Structured-light three-dimensional (3D) imaging is a hot topic in the field of 3D imaging because of its advantages of low computation cost, high imaging accuracy, fast imaging speed, and cost-effectiveness. Structured-light 3D imaging requires uniform diffractive optical elements (DOEs), which could be realized by quasi-continuous-phase metasurfaces. In this paper, we design a quasi-continuous-phase metasurface beam splitter through a vector iterative Fourier transform algorithm and utilize this device to realize structured-light 3D imaging of a target object with subsequent target reconstruction. A structured-light 3D imaging system is then experimentally implemented by combining the fabricated quasi-continuous-phase metasurface illuminated by the vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser and a binocular recognition system, which eventually provides a new technological path for the 3D imaging field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper a procedure to design transmissive metasurfaces based on graphene-metal hybrid layers is developed and employed to design a multi-functional reconfigurable structure. Due to the inclusion of graphene, with tunable conductivity, different applications are achieved without any physical changes in the structure and by just varying the chemical potential of graphene through an electrostatic bias voltage. The designed structure consists of four identical layers to provide 360° phase-shift range with acceptable amplitude and full control of the transmitted wave front. By imposing an appropriate phase gradient profile on the supercell, several applications like beam steering, lens with arbitrary focal length and beam splitter with arbitrary angles are achieved. Simulation results of near field distributions as well as far field patterns vindicate the effectiveness of the proposed design procedure. The designed structure is promising for applications in the 6G wireless communication networks, nano-photonic and optoelectronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we present a distal-scanning common path probe for optical coherence tomography (OCT) equipped with a hollow ultrasonic motor and a simple and specially designed beam-splitter. This novel probe proves to be able to effectively circumvent polarization and dispersion mismatch caused by fiber motion and is more robust to a variety of interfering factors during the imaging process, experimentally compared to a conventional noncommon path probe. Furthermore, our design counteracts the attenuation of backscattering with depth and the fall-off of the signal, resulting in a more balanced signal range and greater imaging depth. Spectral-domain OCT imaging of phantom and biological tissue is also demonstrated with a sensitivity of ∼ 1 0 0 dB and a lateral resolution of ∼ 3 μ m. This low-cost probe offers simplified system configuration and excellent robustness, and is therefore particularly suitable for clinical diagnosis as one-off medical apparatus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coherent microwave-to-optical conversion is crucial for transferring quantum information generated in the microwave domain to optical frequencies, where propagation losses can be minimized. Coherent, atom-based transducers have shown rapid progress in recent years. This paper reports an experimental demonstration of coherent microwave-to-optical conversion that maps a microwave signal to a large, tunable 550(30) MHz range of optical frequencies using room-temperature 87Rb atoms. The inhomogeneous Doppler broadening of the atomic vapor advantageously supports the tunability of an input microwave channel to any optical frequency channel within the Doppler width, along with the simultaneous conversion of a multi-channel input microwave field to corresponding optical channels. In addition, we demonstrate phase-correlated amplitude control of select channels, providing an analog to a frequency domain beam splitter across five orders of magnitude in frequency. With these capabilities, neutral atomic systems may also be effective quantum processors for quantum information encoded in frequency-bin qubits. Coherent microwave-to-optical conversion is crucial for networking physically separated quantum devices. This paper demonstrates coherent conversion of microwaves to a wide, tuneable optical frequency range using room-temperature Rb atoms, supporting frequency division multiplexing and coherent frequency channel control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Progress on two-dimensional materials has shown that valleys, as energy extrema in a hexagonal first Brillouin zone, provide a new degree of freedom for information manipulation. Then, valley Hall topological insulators supporting such-polarized edge states on boundaries were set up accordingly. In this paper, a two-dimensional valley crystal composed of six tunable dielectric triangular pillars in each unit cell is proposed in the photonic sense of a deformed Su–Schrieffer–Heeger model. We reveal the vortex nature of valley states and establish the selection rules for valley-polarized states. Based on the valley topology, a rhombus-shaped beam splitter waveguide is designed to verify the valley-chirality selection rule above. Our numerical results entail that this topologically protected edge states still maintain robust transmission at sharp corners, thus providing a feasible idea for valley photonic devices in the THz regime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, unlike many researches that focus on beam splitters based on gratings with symmetrical structures, an asymmetric grating with double-groove structure is proposed. Based on the double-groove grating, multi-port beam splitters including dual-port, three-port, and four-port, under normal incidence working at terahertz frequency are designed for both transverse-electric and transverse-magnetic polarizations. Rigorous couple-wave analysis and simulated annealing algorithm are employed to get the optimal parameters of the grating and accelerate the computing process. For the purpose of understanding the phenomenon of the beam incident, the finite element method is also applied to get the simulation result. It is proven that the proposed beam splitters all present great efficiency and uniformity on the energy distribution. High manufacturing tolerance of the beam splitters is also analyzed, which allows for greater flexibility in the fabrication process. Compared with beam splitters based on single-groove grating, multi-port beam splitters based on double grooves show great performance and universality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a triple-layer grating beam splitter with three-port output is designed. Through the combination of rigorous coupled-wave analysis (RCWA) and simulated annealing algorithms (SAA), the calculation and optimization of each parameter of the grating is carried out to make the diffraction efficiency of the grating meet the conditions. At the incident wavelength of 800 nm, the diffraction efficiencies of 0th order and ±1st order under TE polarization are 31.6% and 31.4%, respectively. The diffraction efficiencies of 0th order and ±1st order under TM polarization are 32.7% and 32.5%, respectively. It can be seen that not only the total diffraction efficiency under TE polarization and TM polarization exceeds 90%, but also the uniformity of diffraction efficiency at each order exceeds 99%. Finally, the influence of grating parameters and incident wave characteristics on diffraction efficiency is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Impedance theory has become a favorite method for metasurface design as it allows perfect control of wave properties. However, its functionality is strongly limited by the condition of strict continuity of normal power flow. In this paper, it is shown that acoustic impedance theory can be generalized under the integral equivalence principle without imposing the continuity of power flow. Equivalent non-local power flow transmission is instead realized through local design of metasurface unit cells that are characterized by a passive, asymmetric impedance matrix. Based on this strategy, a beam splitter loosely respecting local power flow is designed and demonstrated experimentally. It is concluded that arbitrary wave fields can be connected through arbitrarily shaped boundaries, i.e. transformed into one another. Generalized impedance metasurface theory is expected to extend the possible design of metasurfaces and the manipulation of acoustic waves. Impedance theory grants insight to design metasurfaces for controlling acoustic fields, but such theory imposes great limitation on boundary conditions. The authors propose a generalized acoustic impedance theory connecting arbitrarily conservative acoustic fields, and design a beam splitter as an example of power flow processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aerial displays for providing road information require long-distance image formation and a compact installation space. This paper proposes a compact optical system for forming long-distance floating images by introducing a Fresnel lens in an aerial imaging by retro-reflection (AIRR) optical system. In the conventional AIRR optics, since the aerial image position is the plane-symmetrical position of the light source with respect to the beam splitter, the installation space for forming a long-distance aerial image becomes huge. Our proposed method uses the virtual image formed by a Fresnel lens as the light source in an AIRR optical system. This leads to a much longer distance from the beam splitter to the aerial image than the distance from the beam splitter to the light source. We developed a prototype long-distance floating aerial display system using a large-scale Fresnel lens. As a result, the distance from the LED panel to the beam splitter was halved. Furthermore, we used two beam splitters to form two aerial images by using a single LED panel. Long-distance floating images could be formed 3.4 m and 4.6 m away from the beam splitters and could be seen with the naked eye. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we investigate a system composed of two spatially separated cavities, each with a magnon mode of a yttrium iron garnet (YIG) sphere coupled to a microwave (MW) cavity and phonon modes, respectively, via linear beam splitter and magnetostrictive interactions. In addition, two-mode squeezed vacuum fields drive the two cavities. We investigate and compare the behavior of three nonclassicality indicators in two subsystems (i.e., magnon–magnon and phonon–phonon) under the influences of the temperature, the cavity–magnon damping rate, and the magnomechanical coupling rate. We use the entanglement of formation (EoF) to measure the degree of entanglement, the Gaussian quantum discord (GQD) to characterize the quantum correlations beyond entanglement and Gaussian quantum coherence (GQC) to quantify coherence. Considering that the quantifiers share the same entropic definition, we compare the three quantifiers and test the validity of the hypothesis that quantum states with nonzero discord are inherently entangled. We find, on the one hand, that both GQC and GQD exhibit freezing behavior and that they are more robust to the decoherence effect than the EoF. On the other hand, the EoF and the GQD are always upper bounded by GQC, and there is no simple dominance relationship between EoF and GQD; hence these two quantifiers should not be compared. The effect of other parameters is also discussed in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polarization manipulation is essential in photonic integrated circuits and has numerous applications in various fields, such as optical communication, nonlinear optics, and quantum optics. Advances in nanofabrication have enabled the integration of subwavelength‐structured metamaterials on optical waveguides, providing unprecedented optical manipulation capabilities beyond classical waveguide‐based architectures. In this paper, the polarization space is demonstrated to be fully manipulated by a dielectric metamaterial composed of nanoholes and nanoslots. This approach offers competitive performances for key polarization components, including the polarizer, polarization beam splitter, and polarization‐splitter‐rotator, while maintaining ultra‐compact coupling regions of 18×1 µm2, 16×1.1 µm2, and 13×1 µm2 respectively. The devices are designed by manipulating the phase and amplitude of all possible eigenmodes supported in the waveguide, which is inherently scalable and versatile for on‐chip mode and wavefront manipulation. The unique properties of metamaterials provide powerful tools for on‐chip polarization manipulation and offer new possibilities for the development of compact and high‐performance photonic integrated circuits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent literature has shown, theoretically as well as experimentally, that while a beam splitter does not split a single photon, it nonetheless divides the electromagnetic wave into transmitted and reflected, with both containing energies. This implies the existence of a spacetime of pure electromagnetic waves of energies but without particles; also, it prompts the question on how much energy a photon loses after coming out of a beam splitter, which impacts on interferometry and hence quantum communication. This paper shows that, by Gauss divergence theorem, the gravitational force inside an electromagnetic wave ball results in a point energy that is three times as the wave energy; thus, a 50/50 beam splitter is to cause a photon to lose half of a quarter, or 1/8, of its initial wave energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we propose an ultra-broadband polarization beam splitter for a dual hollow-core anti-resonant fiber. We divide the fiber core into two parts by introducing the two longer U-shaped tubes, which act as channels for the beam splitting of light polarization. We use the finite-element algorithm to analyze the effects of each parameter of the dual hollow-core anti-resonant fiber on the coupling length, coupling length ratio and higher order mode extinction ratio for x-polarized and y-polarized modes in detail. The final simulation results show that the designed dual hollow-core anti-resonant fiber polarization beam splitter possesses an ultra-wide bandwidth of up to 510 nm in the range of 1430–1940 nm and also exhibits outstanding single-mode characteristics in the corresponding range. We believe that the proposed dual hollow-core anti-resonant fiber polarization beam splitter has broad development and application prospects in fiber optic communication, fiber optic gyroscope, fiber optic sensing, etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With zeroth-order suppression, a double-groove reflective grating for dual-port reflection beam splitter is studied in this paper. Under normal incidence, the grating obtains great efficiencies for both TE and TM polarizations. The parameters of the double-groove grating are derived using rigorous coupled-wave analysis. The finite element method and the simulated annealing algorithm are also presented to make sure that the ideal parameters are obtained. Total efficiencies of 98.95% for TE polarization and 99.30% for TM polarization are realized at an incidence wavelength of 1550 nm. In the meantime, the efficiencies of TE polarization and TM polarization at ± 1st orders are 48.15% and 46.26%, while at zeroth order, they are being effectively suppressed at 2.41% and 6.56%. The suggested grating has exceptional qualities and performs admirably. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metasurfaces, composed of micro-nano-structured planar materials, offer highly tunable control over incident light and find significant applications in imaging, navigation, and sensing. However, highly efficient polarization devices are scarce for the extended shortwave infrared (ESWIR) range (1.7~2.5 μm). This paper proposes and demonstrates a highly efficient all-dielectric diatomic metasurface composed of single-crystalline Si nanocylinders and nanocubes on SiO2. This metasurface can serve as a nanoscale linear polarizer for generating polarization-angle-controllable linearly polarized light. At the wavelength of 2172 nm, the maximum transmission efficiency, extinction ratio, and linear polarization degree can reach 93.43%, 45.06 dB, and 0.9973, respectively. Moreover, a nonpolarizing beam splitter (NPBS) was designed and deduced theoretically based on this polarizer, which can achieve a splitting angle of ±13.18° and a phase difference of π. This beam splitter can be equivalently represented as an integration of a linear polarizer with controllable polarization angles and an NPBS with one-bit phase modulation. It is envisaged that through further design optimization, the phase tuning range of the metasurface can be expanded, allowing for the extension of the operational wavelength into the mid-wave infrared range, and the splitting angle is adjustable. Moreover, it can be utilized for integrated polarization detectors and be a potential application for optical digital encoding metasurfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emergence of new materials and fabrication techniques provides progress in the development of advanced photonic and communication devices. Transition metal dichalcogenides (e.g., molybdenum disulfide, MoS2) are novel materials possessing unique physical and chemical properties promising for optical applications. In this paper, a metasurface composed of particles made of bulk MoS2 is proposed and numerically studied considering its operation in the near‐infrared range. In the bulk configuration, MoS2 has a layered structure being a uniaxial anisotropic crystal demonstrating an optical birefringence property. It is supposed that the large‐scale and uniform MoS2 layers are synthesized in a vertical‐standing morphology, and then they are patterned into a regular 2D array of disks to form a metasurface. The natural anisotropy of MoS2 is utilized to realize the splitting of electric and magnetic dipole modes of the disks while optimizing their geometric parameters to bring the desired modes into overlap. At the corresponding resonant frequencies, the metasurface behaves as either an electric or a magnetic mirror, depending on the polarization of incident light. Based on the extraordinary reflection characteristics of the proposed metasurface, it can be considered an alternative to traditional mirrors and optical splitters when designing compact and highly efficient metadevices, which provide polarization and phase manipulation of electromagnetic waves on a subwavelength scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For around five decades, physicists have been experimenting with single quanta such as single photons. Insofar as the practised ensemble reasoning has become obsolete for the interpretation of these experiments, the non-classical intrinsic probabilistic nature of quantum theory has gained increased importance. One of the most important exclusive features of quantum physics is the undeniable existence of the superposition of states, even for single quantum objects. One known example of this effect is entanglement. In this paper, two classically contradictory phenomena are combined to one single experiment. This experiment incontestably shows that a single photon incident on an optical beam splitter can either be reflected or transmitted. The almost complete absence of coincident clicks of two photodetectors demonstrates that these two output states are incompatible. However, when combining these states using two mirrors, we can observe interference patterns in the counting rate of the single photon detector. The only explanation for this is that the two incompatible output states are prepared and kept simultaneously—a typical consequence of a quantum superposition of states. (Semi-)classical physical concepts fail here, and a full quantum concept is predestined to explain the complementary experimental outcomes for the quantum optical "non-waves" called single photons. In this paper, we intend to demonstrate that a true quantum physical key experiment ("true" in the sense that it cannot be explained by any classical physical concept), when combined with full quantum reasoning (probability, superposition and interference), influences students' readiness to use quantum elements for interpretation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the quantum metrological advantages of performing non‐Gaussian operations on two‐mode squeezed vacuum (TMSV) states have been extensively explored, similar studies in the context of two‐mode squeezed thermal (TMST) states are severely lacking. This paper explores the potential advantages of performing non‐Gaussian operations on TMST state for phase estimation using parity detection‐based Mach–Zehnder interferometry and compares it with the TMSV case. To this end, a realistic photon subtraction, addition, and catalysis model is considered. A unified Wigner function of the photon subtracted, photon added, and photon catalyzed TMST state is derived, which is used to obtain the expression for the phase sensitivity. The results show that performing non‐Gaussian operations on TMST states can enhance the phase sensitivity for significant squeezing and transmissivity parameter ranges. Because of the probabilistic nature of these operations, it is of utmost importance to consider their success probability. When the success probability is considered, the photon catalysis operation performed using a high transmissivity beam splitter is the optimal non‐Gaussian operation. This contrasts with the TMSV case, where photon addition is observed as the most optimal. Further, the derived Wigner function of the non‐Gaussian TMST states will be useful for state characterization and various quantum protocols. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a controllable hybrid plasmonic integrated circuit (CHPIC) composed of hybrid plasmonic waveguide (HPW)-based rhombic nano-antenna, polarization beam splitter, coupler, filter, and sensor has been designed and investigated for the first time. In order to control the power into a corresponding input port, a graphene-based 1 × 3 power splitter with switchable output has been exploited. The functionality of each device has been studied comprehensively based on the finite element method and the advantages over state-of-the-art have been compared. Moreover, the effect of connection of CHPIC to the photonic and plasmonic waveguides has been studied to exhibit the capability of variety excitation methods of the CHPIC. Furthermore, the performance of the proposed CHPIC connected to inter/intra wireless transmission links has been investigated. The wireless transmission link consists of two HPW-based nano-antennas as transmitter and receiver with the maximum gain and directivity of 10 dB and 10.2 dBi, respectively, at 193.5 THz. The suggested CHPIC can be used for applications such as optical wireless communication and inter/intra-chip optical interconnects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of variational compiling of a continuous-variable (CV) unitary operation, the architecture and parameter space of the Xanadu X8 processor constrain both the set of feasible compiling problems and the allowed cost functions. In this paper, we motivate a faithful cost function for variational compiling of a two-mode, continuous-variable beam splitter gate with real matrix elements (i.e., a "zero-phase" beam splitter) that complies with the constraints of the X8 processor. This cost function is then computed on the X8. Despite the noise in the processor, we find that the cost function exhibits optimum parameter resilience and, therefore, that this variational compiling problem is feasible on the X8. The intent of the paper is partly to report a proof-of-principle cost function calculation on near-term CV hardware and partly to present methods that may be relevant for CV variational compiling problems in more complicated, large scale settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with the covariance matrix (CM) of two-mode Gaussian states, which, together with the mean vector, fully describes these states. In the two-mode states, the (ordinary) CM is a real symmetric matrix of order 4; therefore, it depends on 10 real variables. However, there is a very efficient representation of the CM called the standard form (SF) that reduces the degrees of freedom to four real variables, while preserving all the relevant information on the state. The SF can be easily evaluated using a set of symplectic invariants. The paper starts from the SF, introducing an architecture that implements with primitive components the given two-mode Gaussian state having the CM with the SF. The architecture consists of a beam splitter, followed by the parallel set of two single–mode real squeezers, followed by another beam splitter. The advantage of this architecture is that it gives a precise non-redundant physical meaning of the generation of the Gaussian state. Essentially, all the relevant information is contained in this simple architecture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we investigate the optical analog to coherent population return (CPR) in coupled nonlinear waveguides. The nonlinearity sometimes plays a negative role in classical simulations of quantum adiabatic passages in waveguides. Nevertheless, it is interesting to note that the nonlinearity here helps simulating the adiabatic CPR technique. The CPR can still occur when the detuning (difference of the propagation constants) between the two nonlinear waveguides is moderate, which is a typical requirement of the technique. Moreover, the adiabatic process can appear when the detuning is small or zero. This is done by simply adjusting the incident light power, which is easy and of high accuracy compared with modulating the propagation constants. Therefore, the requirements towards the propagation constants of the waveguides are further relaxed in the nonlinear case. Finally, we point out that the CPR in nonlinear waveguides can be extended to design achromatic beam splitters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The polarization beam splitter (PBS) is a pivotal element in the polarization management of free-space optical instruments and systems. Photonic integrated circuits for sensing, imaging, communications, and quantum-information processing also have needs for monolithically integrated PBSs with an ultra-broad optical bandwidth. In this paper, a novel silicon nanophotonic PBS inspired by the crystalline Glan-Thompson prism but implemented with silicon subwavelength-grating (SWG) metamaterials is presented. Due to the tailored artificial anisotropy of SWGs, the meta-prism functions like a thin-film reflector or a waveguide crossing for different polarizations. Thus, the incident light can be steered with strong polarization selectivity and negligible wavelength dependence. Unlike conventional PBS designs, the routing of polarized light is enabled by the wavelengthindependent total internal reflection in anisotropy-engineered effective media, thereby breaking the bandwidth limit. The device footprint is as small as ≈15 x 7 υm². Low insertion losses of 0.6-1.7 dB and high extinction ratios of 20-30 dB are experimentally achieved spanning a record broad bandwidth of over 415 nm, ranging from 1.26 to 1.675 μm wavelength. These results represent, to the best of their knowledge, the most broadband integrated PBS ever demonstrated to date. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we present a coherent feedback loop scheme to enhance the magnon–photon–phonon entanglement in cavity magnomechanics. We provide a proof that the steady state and dynamical state of the system form a genuine tripartite entanglement state. To quantify the entanglement in the bipartite subsystem and the genuine tripartite entanglement, we use the logarithmic negativity and the minimum residual contangle, respectively, in both the steady and dynamical regimes. We demonstrate the feasibility of our proposal by implementing it with experimentally realizable parameters to achieve the tripartite entanglement. We also show that the entanglement can be significantly improved with coherent feedback by appropriately tuning the reflective parameter of the beam splitter and that it is resistant to environmental thermalization. Our findings pave the way for enhancing entanglement in magnon–photon–phonon systems and may have potential applications in quantum information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Design of the optical devices is an important matter of discussion in the present scenario where optical devices have become ultra‐compact due to miniaturization, ultra‐speed with the integration of optoelectronic devices. In this paper a 1 × 3 2D photonic crystal based on optical beam‐splitter has been designed on OptiFDTD for TE polarized light. The wafer is of the dimensions of 21 µm × 15 µm in length and width, respectively. The design works at the wavelength of 1.55 µm, and the mode is selected to be the Gaussian Modulated Continuous Wave (GMCW). The design is based on the 2D Hexagonal lattice, where the elliptical Si‐rods are placed in the air. This splitter prototype consists of one input and three outputs with the split ratio as 60:20:20. This refers to the first output port has 60% power of the transmitted signal, and the second and the third output ports have 20% power of the input. The structure is implemented using OptiFDTD software. It utilizes Finite Domain Time Difference (FDTD) numerical method to analyze the transmission spectra of the structure, and the Plane Wave Expansion (PWE) method is utilized to calculate the photonic bandgap of the prototype. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose multiple aerial imaging system by use of two beam splitters in the optical system of aerial imaging by retro-reflection (AIRR). The AIRR optical system consists of a light source, a beam splitter, and a retro-reflector. Use of two-layered beam splitters enables us to show multiple aerial signs to drivers in multiple driving lanes. The purpose of this paper is to confirm feasibility that an aerial display by use of AIRR for a novel traffic information provision. First, we explain an optical configuration to show aerial images to multiple road lanes, a driving lane and an overtaking lane with AIRR by use of two beam splitters. Next, we have developed a prototype optical system by use of two large beam splitters and a large high-brightness LED sign that is designed to be used for actual road displays. The light source was an LED display with a height of 450 mm and a width of 390 mm, which shows a character. We observed aerial images by naked eyes as experiments. And we discuss the issues for practical application that the experiments have revealed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we theoretically study the concept of the wave–particle duality of two entangled neutral Bragg diffracted atoms. This is an extension of a recent study where the same idea was proposed in the photonic setup [Man et al., Sci. Rep. 7, 42539 (2017)] using two independent Mach–Zehnder interferometers. Now, we propose a similar scheme using the cavity-QED based setup, which comprises two independent atomic de Broglie Mach–Zehnder–Bragg interferometers, a source cavity that generates two external momenta state entangled atoms. Once the atoms pass through the source cavity initially prepared in the superposition of zero and one photon, they emerge out of the cavity in entangled momenta state such that if one atom is transmitted to the upper interferometer, then the second atom must traverse the lower interferometer, and vice versa. The final atomic de Broglie beam splitter at the top interferometer is prepared in the superposition of zero and one photon and facilitates observing the wave or particle aspect in a single setting. This entire setup functions in off-resonant Bragg diffraction and the proposed schematics are shown to be experimentally feasible under contemporary research scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents an optical method based on auto-collimation to simultaneously measure five degrees of freedom error motions of the rotary axis. The proposed method consists of the collimated lasers, beam splitters, focusing lens, quadrant photodiode detectors, a high-precision steel ball, and a special mirror fixed to the rotary axis. The mathematical model is established byoptical ray tracing, and the corresponding optical path is also simulated by OpticStudio. Meanwhile, an adjusting mechanism for X–Y micro-displacement, based on the elastic deformation of the material, is designed to adjust the installation eccentricity error of the high-precision steel ball. The calibration results of the proposed system demonstrate that the displacement errors are ±0.25 µm within the measuring range of ±10 µm, and the tilt angle errors are ±0.6 arcsec within the measuring range of ±25 arcsec. Taking a direct drive (DD) motor as the test object, the radial error motions of the rotary axis range from −3.2 to 4.1 µm, the axial error motions range from −4.9 to 4.7 µm, and the tilt error motions around the X and Y axes range from −2.8 to 1.8 arcsec and −2.6 to 2.0 arcsec, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Determining if a quantum state is separable or entangled is a complex problem. Proposed schemes usually employ the von Neumann entropy, the positivity of the partial transpose or various inequalities. Determining the separability of the output of an optical system is an even more involved task. In this paper, we find necessary conditions for the output separability of a SU(2) system. We first discuss some previously reported criteria, showing their limitations. We then introduce our covariance-based criterion and assess its performance. For a system having one input port in the vacuum state, we arrive at a very simple criterion for the output separability. For pure input states, we introduce an artifice to easily assess the output separability with the help of the two-parameter quantum Fisher information. Applications of the proposed criterion are given by evaluating the output separability of a non-balanced beam splitter, fed by a number of input states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Usually in quantum optics, the theory of large- and small-scale waveguide beam splitters is the same. In this paper, it is shown that the theory of the nanoscale waveguide beamsplitter has a significant difference from a similar device, but of a larger scale. It is shown that the previously known theory of the waveguide beam splitter is a particular case of the theory presented here. The wave function at the output ports of the nanoscale beam splitter is analyzed. The results obtained are sensitive to the size of the beam splitter, the coupling parameter of the two waveguides, and the degree of nonmonochromaticity of the photons entering the first and second ports of the beam splitter. The results are important for quantum technologies using a nanosized beam splitter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a perimeter detection scheme based on the quantum physical properties of photons. Existing perimeter intrusion detection schemes, if using light, rely on the classical properties of light only. Our quantum sensor network uses the quantum property of spatial superposition of photons, meaning that a photon can simultaneously follow two different paths after going through a beam splitter. Using multiple Mach–Zehnder interferometers, an entire web of paths can be generated, such that one single photon occupies them all. If an intruder violates this web in some arbitrary point, the entire photon superposition is destroyed, the photon does not self-interfere any more and this event is detected by measurements. For one single photon, the intruder detection probability is limited theoretically but can be increased arbitrarily with the usage of a sequence of photons. We show both theoretical bounds as well as practical results of the proposed schemes. The practical results are obtained by simulation experiments on IBM Quantum platforms. The benefits of our quantum approach are: low power, invisibility to potential intruders, scalability and easy practical implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, multispectral pedestrian detection is mainly discussed, which can contribute to assigning human-aware properties to automated forklifts to prevent accidents, such as collisions, at an early stage. Since there was no multispectral pedestrian detection dataset in an intralogistics domain, we collected a dataset; the dataset employs a method that aligns image pairs with different domains, i.e. RGB and thermal, without the use of a cumbersome device such as a beam splitter, but rather by exploiting the disparity between RGB sensors and camera geometry. In addition, we propose a multispectral pedestrian detector called SSD 2.5D that can not only detect pedestrians but also estimate the distance between an automated forklift and workers. In extensive experiments, the performance of detection and centroid localization is validated with respect to evaluation metrics used in the driving car domain but with distinct categories, such as hazardous zone and warning zone, to make it more applicable to the intralogistics domain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Beam splitters are vital components in several optical systems. It is highly desirable, and compact beam splitters with ultra-broadband performances, high efficiencies, and large split angles are still being sought. In this paper, we demonstrate and numerically investigate an ultra-broadband and highly efficient optical beam splitter based on a quasi-continuous metasurface. The proposed design is constructed of quasi-continuous triangle-shaped gallium phosphide nanoantennas on a silica substrate. The simple structure can achieve a conversion efficiency and an anomalous transmission intensity above 90% and 0.8 covering the wavelength range of 1537–1826 nm, respectively. The maximum beam split angle in the operating bandwidth reaches 131.84° at the wavelength of 1826 nm. Particularly, the operating bandwidth is still as high as 125 nm with the anomalous transmission intensity above 0.92 and the conversion efficiency exceeding 99%. Moreover, the results show that the performance of the metasurface-based optical beam splitter can be further enhanced by optimizing structural parameters. We also demonstrate the adjustability of the beam splitter by adding refractive index (RI) materials on the surface of the device. The results show that the incident plane wave can be divided into three beams with intensity adjustability. The presented metasurface is very promising in the fields of multiplexers, interferometers, and optical communications, owing to its advantages of ultra-broadband, highly efficient, and large split angle simultaneously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents a classical and quantum description of the diffraction of two light beams incident on an ultrasonic wave at a positive and negative Bragg angle. The quantum description of the interaction with the ultrasonic wave was carried out for the two-photon NOON state. Study of diffraction of entangled pair of photon was performed in Mach–Zehnder interferometer wherein an output beam splitter is replaced by ultrasonic wave. It has been shown theoretically and experimentally that when a pair of photons generated from a parametric down-conversion was incident on two input ports of Mach–Zehnder interferometer with an acousto-optical beam splitter, then two-photon beats are observed at the output of the interferometer. The phenomenon of two-photon beats with the double frequency of the ultrasonic wave is the result of the Doppler effect on the ultrasonic wave. Time-correlated single-photon counting method was used to register the phenomenon of two-photon beats. The method of calibrating the interferometer with the use of an additional light source was presented in detail, which guarantees the observation of interaction of two-photon NOON state with ultrasonic wave. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a bidirectional trifunctional splitter with a bilayer ridge structure for polarization-selective and polarization-insensitive outputs at the wavelength of 1550 nm. The configuration can realize a four-port output for both polarizations and TE-two/TM-three output. In the upper part of the bidirectional trifunctional splitter, for TE polarization, two outputs exhibit diffraction efficiencies greater than 49%, while for TM polarization, three outputs exhibit diffraction efficiencies greater than 32%. Furthermore, for the lower part of this beam splitter, under both TE and TM polarization, the diffraction efficiencies of four outputs exceed 24%. Compared to the previous beam splitter, the bidirectional trifunctional splitter exhibits superior uniformity and is capable of simultaneously achieving polarization-selective and polarization-insensitive outputs. Furthermore, the configuration is theoretically resistant to the geometric dimensions, which greatly reduces the difficulty of fabrication. This work exhibits a novel approach to the design of energy-splitting devices and optical communication systems with multiple outputs. • Novel bidirectional trifunctional splitter with a bilayer ridge on two sided microstructure. • Implementing four-port output either for two polarizations simultaneously or TE-two/TM-three output. • Exhibiting superior uniformity or achieving polarization-selective and polarization-insensitive outputs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metasurfaces with both multifunctionality and tunability hold great application potential in next-generation optical devices. In this paper, we propose a stretchable metasurface composed of arrays of identical dielectric rectangular resonators embedded in the polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrate. It is shown that the metasurface possesses three functions at the operating wavelength of 532 nm. The switching of functions can be implemented by changing the period Px of the metasurface, induced by stretching the PDMS substrate along the x-direction. When the period Px is less than the operating wavelength of 532 nm, the behavior of metasurface can switch between transmissive window and reflective mirror. When the period Px of the metasurface varies from 532 nm to 700 nm, the metasurface act as a dynamic equal-power beam splitter with conversion efficiency higher than 90%, and the corresponding splitting angle can be adjusted from 90° to around 49.5°. Moreover, we achieve the switching of transmissive window/reflective mirror/split-ratio-variable splitter based on the metasurface consisting of arrays of identical L-shaped resonators embedded in the PDMS substrate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The parabolic dish is considered the most performant concentrating solar power (CSP) technology since it fits a wide range of domestic and industrial processes and offers better modular deployment than other CSP technologies such as thermal power receivers. The parabolic dish has been widely employed to produce steam and electricity especially when it works in conjunction with Stirling engines; however, the extreme complexity of the latter makes the power generation cost of this technology unfavorable against other competing solutions. In this paper, a comprehensive and detailed optical and thermal performance analysis and optimization study of a hybrid photovoltaic/parabolic dish concentrator with a conical thermal receiver using a beam splitter filter (PV/PDC‐CTR‐BSF) are carried out. A complete modeling module is developed to assess and optimize the overall yields of the PV/PDC‐CTR‐BSF. The present work is unique since it encompasses a sophisticated simulation tool enabling performance potential assessment of a novel PV/PDC‐CTR‐BSF system coupled with a novel conical‐shaped helical coiled‐tube heat exchanger for steam production and paves the avenue for higher electrical yield using single‐junction PV cells mounted over the tip surface area of the paraboloid mirrors. The concentrated solar density (CSD) distribution, optical efficiency, temperature distribution, and steam fraction have particular interest in the performance assessment of the innovative PV/PDC‐CTR‐BSF package system. As a result, the maximum value of the CSD at the conical cavity receiver and the PV cells is 40 and 8 kW/m2, respectively. The optical efficiency of the proposed design has a breakthrough in the record of the typical hybrid designs reaching the value of 67%. Moreover, the maximum surface solar cells temperature was 80°C, while the temperature reached 170°C at the conical cavity receiver. The optical new hybrid design has maximized the steam productivity up to a steam volume fraction of 98%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantum Gaussian states play a fundamental role in quantum communications and in quantum information. This paper deals with the implementation of multimode, and particularly of two-mode Gaussian unitaries and Gaussian states with primitive components (phase shifters, single-mode real squeezers, displacements, and beam splitters). The architecture thus obtained allows one to obtain an insight into the physical meaning of each variable involved. Moreover, following the implementation architecture, it is possible to formulate an easy algebra (radical free) for the main operations and transformations of Gaussian states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a theoretical study into the use of optical systems for quantum computation. The study results pertain to quantum sampling and quantum communication and provide a basis for further research and the development of a physical implementation. We propose an optical superstructure that can implement specific computation processes and algorithms. The superstructure is composed of nonlinear optical units, such as beta barium borate crystals. The units are positioned in series, powered by a pulse laser pump, and culminate in a beam splitter that generates the output state of a number of entangled photon pairs. Computation is achieved by entanglement propagation via beam splitters and adjustable phase shifters, which set related parameters. Demonstrating a two-component case, we show how a series of cosine-based components can be implemented. The obtained results open a broad front for future research. Future work should investigate the construction of a quantum optimizer using quantum sampling methods and also investigate high-precision temporal voltage measurement, which is a key procedure for the construction of high-fidelity devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper evaluates the spatial distortion of aerial image and proposes a novel optical design to utilize the distortion as visual expression. Our optical system is based on aerial imaging by retro-reflection (AIRR). Using acrylic plate as beam splitter, a clear aerial image can be obtained at low cost. However, when upsizing the device, there is a problem that aerial image was distorted because the acrylic beam splitter was deformed by its own weight. In this study, we have supported the beam splitter with guide wires and have evaluated the distortion of aerial image quantitatively by changing the experimental condition about guide wires and beam splitters. Simultaneously, we have deliberately generated irregular distortions of beam splitter to create a three-dimensional aerial image. Irregular deflection is caused by pulling the acrylic plate upward with an adjust wire and partially raising it. We have succeeded in forming three-dimensional aerial images that appear differently depending on the viewpoint. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a novel steganography method to show an aerial image that is formed with aerial imaging by retro-reflection by use of dual transparent balls made of acrylic resin. Our optical system forms a floating image screen in front of an acrylic ball that is placed on a beam splitter. We have confirmed our proposed optical system by performing optical ray-tracing simulations and experiments with a prototype aerial display. The ray-tracing results show that an acrylic ball plays the role of a ball lens, reducing the area of the retro-reflector and improving the luminance of the aerial image. Then, we measured the luminance distribution of the aerial image formed by the proposed method by imaging the aerial image of the stripe pattern with a luminance meter. From the measurement results, the luminance of the aerial image at a radius of about 5 mm from the center of the acrylic ball (radius 35 mm) was almost the same as that of the conventional method. In addition, an aerial image was observed within a radius of 25 mm, although the luminance was low. Thus, the simulation and experimental results confirm the effective range of aerial imaging in the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the previous work [1], the results of mathematical modeling of the optical scheme of a single-pass homodyne displacement interferometer with the quadrature principle of phase recording have been presented. The interferometer has been built according to the Michelson scheme and polarization optical elements have been used to obtain quadrature signals. The interferometer has been supposed to be used as part of a new national standard of the kilogram based on watt balance method for precision measurements of the displacement and speed of the coil in the vertical direction. This paper presents experimental studies of the operation of a homodyne quadrature displacement interferometer model. In this work, a conventional (non-polarization) beam splitter and two polarizers have been used in the optical scheme of a homodyne interferometer in the recording unit instead of a polarization beam splitter. This added additional degrees of freedom when aligning the optical channels for recording interference channels and has made it possible to achieve the required signal shift of 90° with an accuracy of 0.1°. As a result, a displacement measurement error of 0.2 nm has been experimentally achieved. Generalized expressions have been obtained for quadrature signals for arbitrary azimuths of polarizers in three channels of recording of interference signals. An assessment of the accuracy of displacement measurements using a quadrature homodyne interferometer has been carried out and it has been found that the extended uncertainty of such measurements does not exceed 0.3 nm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a beam splitter, multi-value phase grating (MVPG) has a higher diffraction efficiency than the traditional Damman grating (DG) due to its increased number of phase values within one period of the grating. In this paper, two MVPGs are numerically designed within a 120 ÎĽ m Ă— 120 ÎĽ m area, which generate 4 * 4 and 5 * 5 focal spot arrays in the far field. Both gratings are fabricated by direct laser writing (DLW) technology. Their diffraction efficiencies reach 68.58% and 63.4%, respectively. To compare, DGs with the same size and focal spot arrays are designed and fabricated, whose diffraction efficiencies are tested to be 29.55% and 35.04%, respectively. The results demonstrate the better optical properties of multi-value phase gratings and the capability of DLW in three-dimensional nano-scale diffractive optical element fabrication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we investigate the structural design of beam splitters with high total transmission efficiency in the two-dimensional (2D) GaSb (Gallium Antimonide)-based photonic crystals, and several optimal structures for 1 × 2 and 1 × 4 Y-shaped beam splitters have been provided. Using our proposed alternating iteration algorithm, by introducing several microstructures in the bend and Y-shaped junction areas to achieve topology optimization, the design of Y-shaped beam splitters with high total transmission efficiency at 1550 nm makes great progress. The splitter structures are designed on 2D GaSb-based photonic crystals with a triangular lattice of air holes immersed in the GaSb. All designs are simulated numerically and analyzed by using the finite element method. The optimized structures of 1 × 2 , 1 × 4 Y-shaped beam splitters show that our optimization technique is efficient and simple. And the total transmission efficiencies both over 7 2 % at output ports are obtained, which indicates that our method is relatively efficient to other methods in some related reports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]