Dynamically Switching the Polarization State of Light Based on the Phase Transition of Vanadium Dioxide

Abstract

Manipulating the polarization state of light is important in numerous applications in photonics and electromagnetism. Among many possible approaches, plasmonic polarizers have attracted widespread attention, due to their flexibility in structural design and convenience in on-chip integration. The authors demonstrate a VO${}_{2}$-based composite plasmonic nanostructure that can dynamically modulate the polarization of reflected light, via the thermally induced insulator-metal transition of the oxide. The composite structure can also be applied to realize switchable infrared imaging.