Multichannel direct transmissions of near-field information

A digital-coding programmable metasurface (DCPM) is a type of functional system that is composed of subwavelength-scale digital coding elements with opposite phase responses. By configuring the digital coding elements, a DCPM can construct dynamic near-field image patterns in which the intensity of each pixel of the image can be dynamically and independently modulated. Thus, a DCPM can perform both spatial and temporal modulations. Here, this advantage is used to realize multichannel direct transmissions of near-field information. Three points are selected in the near-field region to form three independent channels. By applying various digital phase codes on the DCPM, independent binary digital symbols defined by amplitude codes (namely, weak and strong amplitudes) are transmitted through the three channels. The measured near-field distributions and temporal transmissions of the system agree with numerical calculations. Compared with the conventional multichannel transmission, the proposed mechanism achieves simultaneous spatial and temporal modulations by treating DCPM as an energy radiator and information modulator, thereby enduing DCPM with high potential in near-field information processing and communications.Optics: Metasurfaces take control in the quest to manipulate lightScientists have developed a programmable metasurface capable of controlling both the spatial and temporal modulations of light, opening the door for tunable optical components that are flat and easily integrated into other devices. Metasurfaces are ultrathin materials made from metals or semiconductors that can modulate the amplitude, phase, and polarization of light waves. However, most metasurfaces currently available are static in nature, with their optical properties fixed during fabrication. Now, Xiang Wan and colleagues from Southeast University in China have developed a digital-coding programmable metasurface (DCPM) that can dynamically control light in real time. Made from subwavelength-scale digital coding elements with opposite phase responses, the proposed DCPM is capable of multi-channel direct transmissions of near-field information and could be used in a range of applications, including wearable devices, autonomous vehicles, and sensing, imaging, and display technologies.

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