LC device for generating chiral phase and chiral intensity switching.

As an inherent characteristic of light fields, chirality possesses extensive potential applications in nanofabrication, optical communication, optical tweezers, etc. However, the investigation of multi-parameter modulation (phase, intensity, polarization, etc.) and chiral switching remains a challenge. To address this issue, we propose and fabricate a multifunctional liquid crystal device (LCD) based on photoalignment technology. By combining various vortices along the radial direction, a new optical phase plate is designed to modulate the light field, exhibiting distinct chiral states during propagation with simple optical transformation. Through tight focusing, the modulated light beam demonstrates intensity chirality switching, while phase chirality switching can be achieved through radial axial transformation. Benefiting from the advantages of LCD devices, such as large size, broad spectral range, low cost, and electronically controlled, the generated chiral-switching light enables facile and multifunctional manipulation of its chiral structures, with significant potential for scientific applications, including material chirality detection and photoactivated localization super-resolution fluorescence microscopy.