Near-Infrared Polarimetric Imaging With Nonlinear Flat-Optics

Year: 2026

Authors: Menshikov E., Sanchez M.A.L., Franceschini P., Tognazzi A., De Ceglia D., Frizyuk K., De Angelis C.

Autors Affiliation: Univ Brescia, Brescia, Italy; Univ Ghent, Photon Res Grp, IMEC, Ghent, Belgium; CNR, Ist Nazl Ott, Brescia, Italy; Univ Palermo, Palermo, Italy; Karlsruhe Inst Technol, Karlsruhe, Germany.

Abstract: A compact and broadband polarimetric imaging platform is presented, based on second-harmonic generation (SHG) in nonlinear flat-optics. The system employs periodic all-dielectric AlGaAs gratings to induce polarization-dependent SH emission, enabling pixel by pixel direct retrieval of the full Stokes vector from an input intensity distribution in the near-infrared range. By engineering the geometry and orientation of the polarimetric units, sensitivity to linear and circular polarization components is achieved. A superpixel design comprising four polarimetric structures allows accurate reconstruction of the polarization state without moving parts or sequential measurements. This approach offers a scalable, passive, and cost-effective solution for polarimetric imaging, particularly suited for near-infrared applications.

Journal/Review: LASER & PHOTONICS REVIEWS

More Information: The authors are thankful to Rinaldo Colombo, Mercedeh Khajavikhan, Giuseppe Leo, Michele Midrio, Luca Palmieri, and Luca Schenato for fruitful discussions. This work was partially supported by the European Union under the Italian National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) of NextGenerationEU, of partnership on Telecommunications of the Future (PE00000001 – program RESTART), Cascade project PRISM – CUP: C79J24000190004, Cascade project SMART – CUP: E63C22002040007, Smart Metasurfaces Advancing Radio Technology (SMART), PRIN 2020 project METEOR (2020EY2LJT), METAFAST project that received funding from the European Union Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation programme under Grant Agreement No. 899673. A. T. acknowledges the financial support from the University of Palermo through Fondo Finalizzato alla Ricerca di Ateneo 2025 (FFR2025). K.F. gratefully acknowledges support from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.
KeyWords: nonlinear circular dichroism; nonlinear optics; polarimetry; second harmonic generation
DOI: 10.1002/lpor.202503276