With the world increasingly reliant on imaging technologies, the demand for optical systems has never been greater. From consumer electronics to national security, these systems must be lightweight and uncompromising on quality to tackle future demands.
Long-wavelength infrared (LWIR) imaging makes it possible to see in complete darkness and through smoke and fog. However, traditional systems leveraging LWIR use bulky refractive lenses. These heavy lenses are often crafted from expensive materials like germanium, hindering widespread adoption.
A recent study promises a solution with lenses that are thinner and offer superior performance, thanks to meta-optics.
Meta-optics promise to solve some limitations of conventional lenses by leveraging engineered surfaces called metasurfaces. These metasurfaces consist of arrays of tiny nanopillars. Each pillar introduces a local phase shift to the light passing through.
Scientists can control how light interacts with the surface by carefully arranging these nanopillars. This manipulation allows them to achieve results similar to traditional optical systems at just a fraction of their thickness.
To read more, click here.