TY - JOUR
T1 - Plasma-state metasurfaces for ultra-intensive field manipulation
AU - Chen, Zi Yu
AU - Xu, Hao
AU - Jia, Jiao
AU - Chen, Yanjie
AU - Chen, Siyu
AU - Zhang, Yan
AU - Wei, Mingxuan
AU - Ma, Minghao
AU - Li, Runze
AU - Yang, Fan
AU - Li, Mo
AU - Lu, Guangwei
AU - Zhou, Weijun
AU - Mou, Hanmi
AU - Zhang, Zhuofan
AU - Yang, Zhida
AU - Gao, Jian
AU - liu, Feng
AU - Li, Boyuan
AU - Chen, Min
AU - Chen, Liming
AU - Wang, Yongtian
AU - Huang, Lingling
AU - Yan, Wenchao
AU - Zhang, Shuang
AU - Zhang, Jie
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2026.
PY - 2026/12
Y1 - 2026/12
N2 - High-power lasers offer ultrahigh intensities for plasma interactions, but they lack advanced techniques to control the properties of the fields, because no optical elements could withstand their high intensities. The vibrant field of metasurfaces has transformed modern optics by enabling unprecedented control over light at subwavelength through deliberate design. However, metasurfaces have traditionally been limited to solid-state materials and low light intensities. Extending the sophisticated capabilities of metasurfaces from solids into the plasma realm would open new horizons for high-field science. Here, we present a proof-of-concept experimental demonstration of plasma-state metasurfaces (PSMs) via the photonic spin Hall effect and the generation of stable-propagating vortex beams under intense laser irradiation. Time-resolved pump-probe measurements reveal that the functionality of PSMs can persist for several picoseconds, making them suitable for controlling ultra-intense femtosecond lasers, even in state-of-the-art multi-petawatt systems. Harnessing the powerful toolkit of metasurfaces, this approach holds the promise to revolutionize our ability to manipulate the amplitude, phase, polarization, and wavefront of high-power lasers during their pulse duration. It also opens new possibilities for innovative applications in laser-plasma interactions such as compact particle acceleration and novel radiation sources.
AB - High-power lasers offer ultrahigh intensities for plasma interactions, but they lack advanced techniques to control the properties of the fields, because no optical elements could withstand their high intensities. The vibrant field of metasurfaces has transformed modern optics by enabling unprecedented control over light at subwavelength through deliberate design. However, metasurfaces have traditionally been limited to solid-state materials and low light intensities. Extending the sophisticated capabilities of metasurfaces from solids into the plasma realm would open new horizons for high-field science. Here, we present a proof-of-concept experimental demonstration of plasma-state metasurfaces (PSMs) via the photonic spin Hall effect and the generation of stable-propagating vortex beams under intense laser irradiation. Time-resolved pump-probe measurements reveal that the functionality of PSMs can persist for several picoseconds, making them suitable for controlling ultra-intense femtosecond lasers, even in state-of-the-art multi-petawatt systems. Harnessing the powerful toolkit of metasurfaces, this approach holds the promise to revolutionize our ability to manipulate the amplitude, phase, polarization, and wavefront of high-power lasers during their pulse duration. It also opens new possibilities for innovative applications in laser-plasma interactions such as compact particle acceleration and novel radiation sources.
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105044252067
U2 - 10.1038/s41377-026-02304-7
DO - 10.1038/s41377-026-02304-7
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:105044252067
SN - 2047-7538
VL - 15
JO - Light: Science and Applications
JF - Light: Science and Applications
IS - 1
M1 - 307
ER -