Unleashing Continuous Polarization–Wavelength Control with Nonlocal Metasurfaces

Unleashing Continuous Polarization–Wavelength Control with Nonlocal Metasurfaces | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Unleashing Continuous Polarization–Wavelength Control with Nonlocal Metasurfaces Guanhai Li, Jiuxu Wang, Jie Wang, Feilong Yu, Jin Chen, Rongsheng Chen, and 6 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7206625/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Simultaneous and continuous control over polarization and wavelength—two orthogonal and information-rich degrees of freedom—remains a central challenge in metasurface photonics, long hindered by intrinsic dispersion constraints and structural degeneracy. Here, we unleash continuous polarization–wavelength control through a nonlocal metasurface platform that decouples birefringent evolution from structural dispersion. We achieve programmable, spectrally resolved polarization shaping across the broadband mid-infrared regime by introducing an equivalent nonlocal Jones matrix formalism and a dimension-interlaced vectorial diffraction neural network. This framework enables fully continuous and arbitrarily reconfigurable mapping across the joint polarization–wavelength space—beyond the capabilities of segmented or interleaved metasurface designs. We experimentally demonstrate non-degenerate multicolor vectorial holography, broadband achromatic imaging, and arbitrary elliptical polarization multiplexing with high fidelity and minimal crosstalk, maintaining strong channel isolation. Our results establish a scalable route toward continuous-domain photonic encoding, offering a powerful foundation for ultracompact optical communication, vectorial information encryption, and high-dimensional light-field processing. Physical sciences/Optics and photonics/Optical materials and structures/Metamaterials Physical sciences/Physics/Optical physics/Sub-wavelength optics Physical sciences/Optics and photonics/Applied optics/Mid-infrared photonics Physical sciences/Optics and photonics/Optical materials and structures/Silicon photonics Physical sciences/Physics/Electronics, photonics and device physics/Photonic devices Nonlocal Jones Matrix Continuous Encoding Vectorial Holography Diffraction Neural Network Full Text Additional Declarations There is no conflict of interest Supplementary Files SupplementaryMaterial.docx Supplementary Material Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7206625","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":493498424,"identity":"1f6f1908-c1b1-4617-9fc7-eea143fd8e0a","order_by":0,"name":"Guanhai 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