Abstract

We present a nonmechanical zoom lens system based on the Pancharatnam phase effect, which is controlled by the state of circularly polarized light. The device is shown to allow for a compact design for a wide range of zoom ratios. A demonstration system is shown, which has a $4\times$ zoom ratio between its two electrically switchable states. We show its observed image quality experimentally and compare it with calculated expectations.

© 2016 Optical Society of America

Thin-film Pancharatnam lens with low f-number and high quality

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