Meta-optical processors for broadband complex-field image operations
Abstract
All-optical image processing provides a fast and energy-efficient alternative to conventional electronic systems by directly manipulating optical wavefronts. However, metasurface-based optical processors reported to date are often limited in functionality, operating bandwidth, or input modality, which restricts their adaptability across different image processing tasks. Here, we demonstrate a broadband metasurface platform capable of performing diverse analog image processing operations on both amplitude- and phase-encoded inputs. This platform is realized using a single-layer dielectric metasurface designed through an end-to-end, task-driven inverse design framework. By tailoring the spatial-frequency components of incident image wavefronts, the metasurface implements analog operations such as edge detection and pattern recognition across a 200nm wavelength bandwidth in the visible spectrum. Furthermore, we develop a compact processor architecture that integrates imaging and computation within a reduced optical footprint. These results establish a flexible and compact metasurface-based optical processor with strong potential for integration into practical imaging and optical computing systems.
Cite
@article{arxiv.2602.02030,
title = {Meta-optical processors for broadband complex-field image operations},
author = {Linzhi Yu and Jesse Pietila and Haobijam J. Singh and Arttu Nieminen and Humeyra Caglayan},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2602.02030},
year = {2026}
}