Terahertz polarization and chirality modulation induced by asymmetry inversion combining chiral metasurface and liquid crystal anisotropy

We experimentally demonstrate a dynamic terahertz (THz) chiral device based on a composite structure of anisotropic liquid crystals (LCs) sandwiched between a bilayer metasurface. The device supports the symmetric mode and antisymmetric mode under the incidence of left- and right-circular polarized waves, respectively. The different coupling strengths of the two modes reflect the chirality of the device, and the anisotropy of the LCs can change the coupling strength of the modes, which brings tunability to the chirality of the device. The experimental results show that the circular dichroism of the device can be dynamically controlled from 28 dB to −32 dB (i.e., inversion regulation) at approximately 0.47 THz and from −32 dB to 1 dB (i.e., switching regulation) at approximately 0.97 THz. Moreover, the polarization state of the output wave is also tunable. Such flexible and dynamic manipulation of THz chirality and polarization might build an alternative pathway for complex THz chirality control, high-sensitivity THz chirality detection, and THz chiral sensing.