Recentlycorresponding author guidelines for details."?>, optical computing has emerged as a potential solution to computationally heavy convolution, aiming at accelerating various large science and engineering tasks. Based on optical multi-imaging–casting architecture, we propose a paradigm for a universal optical convolutional accelerator with truly massive parallelism and high precision. A two-dimensional Dammann grating is the key element for generating multiple displaced images of the kernel, which is the core process for kernel sliding on the convolved matrix in optical convolutional architecture. Our experimental results indicate that the computing accuracy is typically about 8 bits, and this accuracy could be improved further if high-contrast modulators are used. Moreover, a hybrid analog–digital coding method is demonstrated to improve computing accuracy. Additionally, a convolutional neural network for the standard MNIST dataset is demonstrated, with recognition accuracy for inference reaching 97.3%. Since this architecture could function under incoherent light illumination, this scheme will provide opportunities for handling white-light images directly from lenses without photoelectric conversion, in addition to convolutional accelerators.

A planar-integrated optical system (PIOS) represents powerful optical imaging and information processing techniques and is a potential candidate for the realization of a three-dimensional (3D) integrated optoelectronic intelligent system. Coupling the optical wave carrying information into a planar transparent substrate (typically fused silica) is an essential prerequisite for the realization of such a PIOS. Unlike conventional grating couplers for nano-waveguides on the silicon-on-insulator platform, the grating couplers for PIOS enable to obtain a higher design freedom and to achieve much higher coupling efficiency. By combining the rigorous coupled wave algorithm and simulated annealing optimization algorithm, a high-efficiency asymmetric double-groove grating coupler is designed for PIOS. It is indicated that, under the condition of the normal incidence of TE polarization, the diffraction efficiency of the -1st order is over 95%, and its average value is 97.3% and 92.8% in the C and C+L bands. The simulation results indicate that this type of grating coupler has good tolerance and is expected to be applied in optical interconnections, waveguide-based augmented reality glasses, and planar-integrated 3D interconnection optical computing systems.

It is well-known that the chirped pulse amplification (CPA) technique won the award for the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physics to Mourou and Strickland. The compression and stretching using gratings is the essence of the CPA technique for amplifying femtosecond laser pulses. It seems the public is less aware that there are also other structures for compression and stretching of femtosecond laser pulses using other diffractive gratings, such as doubled-density gratings and deep-etched gratings. Therefore, from the view of diffractive optics, the CPA technique is reviewed with different approaches and experimental implementations that are not only useful for a more comprehensive retrospective overview of CPA, but also for the prospective of the CPA technique, which might lead us to new areas of picometer and femtometer optics in the future.

An encapsulated metal-dielectric reflective grating is presented for broadband polarization-independent two-port beam splitting under normal incidence at the central wavelength of 800 nm. Different from traditional two-port grating splitters in the resonant region, this grating splitter is capable of separating light energy into ±1^st orders with high efficiency in a broad waveband for both TE and TM polarizations. A unified method is proposed here for designing this grating splitter, which enables one to choose a grating structure quickly to realize an ultrabroad working waveband. The simulation results indicate that a bandwidth of 46.4 nm could be achieved for diffraction efficiency (defined as the ratio of the light energy diffracted only at the first order to the incident light energy) over 46% at the central wavelength of 800 nm. Moreover, the parameters of the grating structure can be flexibly adjusted with wavelengths using the unified method for various other applications, such as augmented reality, optical interconnections for computing, coherent beam combination, and complex vector beam shaping.

Perfect optical vortices (POVs) provide a solution to address the challenge induced by strong dependence of classical optical vortices on their carried topological charges. However, traditional POVs are all shaped into bright rings with a single main lobe along the radial direction. Here we propose a method for enhanced control on the ring profile (the radial intensity profile of circular rings) of POVs based on modulated circular sine/cosine radial functions, which is realized by a circular Dammann grating embedded with a spiral phase. Specifically, a type of “absolute” dark POVs surrounded by two bright lobe rings in each side is presented, which provides a perfect annular potential well along those dark impulse rings for trapping low-index particles, cells, or quantum gases. In addition, several POVs with different ring profiles, including conventional POVs with bright rings, the dark POVs mentioned above, and also POVs with tunable ring profiles, are demonstrated. This work opens up new possibilities to controllably tune the ring profile of perfect vortices, and this type of generalized POVs will enrich the content of singular optics and expand the application scope of perfect vortices in a range of areas including optical manipulation, both quantum and classical optical communications, enhanced optical imaging, and also novel structured pumping lasers.