A method and apparatus for creating an atmospheric electromagnetic radiation path modifying element (40) operative to simulate a physical optical device, the method comprising applying electromagnetic radiation to a selected plurality of three-dimensional portions (12FIG. 3) of an atmospheric volume (10) so as to heat and/or ionize the air within said portions, wherein said selected portions are spatially located together in a substantially unbroken three-dimensional configuration.

A laser scanner system that steers laser beams with GHz throughput and precision is based on switching (thin) films that are either metallic, or stacks of alternating dielectric films. The films are arranged with a slight tilt angle to the incident laser beam. They change their optical properties under electrical loads and become highly reflective to reflect the beam to a certain direction depending on the tilt angle of the switched film. In the area of laser based machining it will be possible to produce with a far higher throughput and precision than with conventional galvanometer based systems. The scanner can be also used in bar code scanners or in laser based TV systems. A new adaptive wavefront correction element can be achieved using switching films arranged in an xy matrix. Many applications of such a distortion correction element exist in adaptive optics.

An integrated optical transmission element may be provided. The integrated optical transmission element includes an optical cavity including an input port and an output port, and photorefractive material within the optical cavity. A transmission of light from the input port to the output port is persistently changeable by an optical control signal provided to the photorefractive material, the optical control signal being configured to change a refractive index.

An optical device for a display panel. The optical device comprises an optical element (1). The optical element (1) may include a first surface (3) and a second surface (4) opposite the first surface, and side surfaces. The optical device may further comprise a light source (2) facing one of the side surfaces of the optical element (1). The optical element (1) may comprise a compound containing a photoisomer group. The photoisomer group may undergo a photoisomerization under an irradiation of the light source. Accordingly, an illumination area by a light passing through the first surface (3) and exiting from the second surface (4) may increase or decrease.

Flat optical elements including a multi-level metasurface stack having two or more metasurface levels. Each metasurface level includes an arrangement of nanostructures, or protrusions, of one or more optically transmissive materials. A metasurface level may further include another optically transmissive material between the nanostructures, achieving a desired index contrast. Another metasurface level including additional nanostructures may be over a planar surface of this additional transmissive material. Another optically transmissive material may be between the additional nanostructures. This architecture may be followed for any number of levels, (e.g., a bi-layer, tri-layer, etc.). Each metasurface within the multi-level metasurface structure may be tuned to a particular optical wavelength. Such a multi-level metasurface may have greater bandwidth and/or achieve higher optical efficiency for a given band than a single metasurface. Molding techniques may be employed in metasurface fabrication to reduce the starting material cost and fabrication cost.

Disclosed herein are techniques for dynamically forming an optical component that automatically aligns with and changes positions with a scanning light beam to modify the wave front of the scanning light beam, such as collimating the scanning light beam. More specifically, a patterning beam that aligns with the scanning light beam may be scanned together with the scanning light beam to form the self-aligning and travelling optical component in an electro-optic material layer that is connected in serial with a photoconductive material layer to a voltage source, where the patterning beam optically modulates the impedance of the photoconductive material layer and therefore an electric field within the electro-optic material layer, the modulated electric field causing localized changes of refractive index in the electro-optic material layer to form the self-aligning and travelling optical component.

An optical system is provided which includes a light source which outputs light; a first waveguide; a transmissive reflective layer provided on a top surface of the first waveguide and configured to reflect some light and transmit the remaining light incident thereon; a second waveguide provided on a top surface of the transmissive reflective layer; an in-coupler provided on the first waveguide and configured to allow the light output by the light source to enter the first waveguide; and an out-coupler provided on one of the first waveguide and the second waveguide and configured to emit light from the optical system.

According to one embodiment, an optical device includes a liquid crystal element including a first substrate including a plurality of first control electrodes, a second substrate which is opposed to the first substrate and comprises a second control electrode, and a first liquid crystal layer held between the first substrate and the second substrate, and a modulation element opposed to the liquid crystal element, the modulation element including a modulation portion which modulates incident light, and a non-modulation portion which is adjacent to the modulation portion.

A beam steering apparatus includes a transformation layer, of which a refraction index is changed by light irradiation, a pattern layer arranged on the transformation layer and comprises a plurality of patterns, and a light irradiation unit arranged under the transformation layer. The pattern layer has patterns of a metasurface shape to reflect an external laser. The light irradiation unit may emit light having different characteristics.

Flat optical elements including a multi-level metasurface stack having two or more metasurface levels. Each metasurface level includes an arrangement of nanostructures, or protrusions, of one or more optically transmissive materials. A metasurface level may further include another optically transmissive material between the nanostructures, achieving a desired index contrast. Another metasurface level including additional nanostructures may be over a planar surface of this additional transmissive material. Another optically transmissive material may be between the additional nanostructures. This architecture may be followed for any number of levels, (e.g., a bi-layer, tri-layer, etc.). Each metasurface within the multi-level metasurface structure may be tuned to a particular optical wavelength. Such a multi-level metasurface may have greater bandwidth and/or achieve higher optical efficiency for a given band than a single metasurface. Molding techniques may be employed in metasurface fabrication to reduce the starting material cost and fabrication cost.