Chinese Optics Letters, Volume. 23, Issue 10, (2025)

Dual-Mode Liquid-Crystal Element for Polarization Imaging with Extended Depth of Field [Early Posting]

Wu Xuanyu, Wu Xuanguang, Xu Xiaofeng, Chen Weiqi, Wei Bing-Yan, Liu Sheng, Gan Xuetao, Zhao Jianlin, Li Peng
Author Affiliations
  • China
  • Northwestern Polytechnical University
  • Northwestern Polytech Univ
  • show less

    Extended depth-of-field (DoF) imaging enhances longitudinal clarity but traditionally fails to record polarization information. Here, we propose a liquid-crystal Pancharatnam-Berry (PB) phase element that extends DoF while sensing polarization ellipticity. Leveraging cubic phase-induced defocus-insensitive point spread functions, a 10 cm DoF is achieved in a 10 cm-focal-length 4f system. Linear PB phases enable spin-orbit interactions to detect polarization states, overcoming irreversible polarization loss in conventional methods. This dual-functionality system integrates DoF extension with polarization sensing, enhancing multidimensional imaging capabilities and holding promise for advancing machine vision, autonomous vehicles, and optical detection by merging depth clarity with polarization-based object differentiation.

    Paper Information

    Manuscript Accepted: May. 26, 2025

    Posted: Jun. 19, 2025

    DOI: COL-0380