Metasurface-Based Camera Could Simplify Polarization Imaging for Vision Systems

Researchers at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have developed a compact, portable camera that can image polarization in a single shot. The miniature camera uses metasurface technology to integrate all of the optics needed for polarization in a single device. The researchers applied matrix Fourier optics — an extension of Fourier optics — to the design of metasurface gratings. Their metasurface-based full-Stokes polarization camera is designed without conventional polarization optics and without moving parts. The camera’s metasurface uses an array of subwavelength-spaced nanopillars to direct light based on its polarization. The light forms four images on the four...