Fully Tunable Circularly Polarized Light from Achiral Soft Plasmonic Multilayers

Achieving efficient and comprehensive control over all parameters of circularly polarized light (CPL) remains a significant challenge in advanced optical applications, including information encryption, optical communication, quantum computing, etc. Conventional CPL materials typically combine luminescence and chirality in a single component for direct CPL emission or rely on intrinsically chiral components to optically filter unpolarized light. However, these strategies limit design flexibility and hinder efficient tunability. This study addresses these limitations by introducing a structurally decoupled approach to CPL production. The proposed multilayer composite system, composed entirely of achiral components, decouples chirality from luminescence and intrinsic structural elements. Specifically, achiral fluorescent films are integrated with twist-stacked plasmonic polymer nanocomposite layers, achieving a high dissymmetry factor of 0.3 in the visible region. This innovative design allows independent control over CPL parameters, including wavelength, ellipticity, and handedness, through mechanical rotation or deformation. The decoupled architecture significantly enhances the material's design flexibility, scalability, and environmental stability. Furthermore, the resulting dynamic CPL material demonstrates practical applications in multi-level, high-capacity information encryption, offering promising prospects for advanced optical technologies.