Parallel bright-field and multi-order edge imaging via wide field-of-view trichannel metalens

Modern optical systems require the capability to perform multi-functional and parallel imaging within compact, integrated architectures. However, conventional refractive lenses are bulky, restricted to single-mode operation, and incompatible with planar integration. In this work, we propose a trichannel metalens capable of simultaneously performing bright-field imaging, first-order edge detection, and second-order edge detection over a wide field-of-view (FOV). Specifically, by encoding combinations of input-output circular polarization, different functions are independently realized in three channels, and the spin-dependent gradient phase is employed to spatially separate them, ensuring that all three functions can be simultaneously captured under linearly polarized illumination, without necessitating mode switching or additional optical components. Experimental results show that the proposed metalens can parallelly provide three independent imaging functions with clear spatial separation and stable performance over a FOV ranging from −10° to 10°. Our approach offers a promising path toward compact, integrated imaging systems for biomedical imaging, real-time edge analysis, and machine vision applications.