Surrogate model-assisted analysis of the performance of quasiconformal Transformation Optics-enabled flattened gradient-index lenses

Abstract

Gradient-index (GRIN) optics has seen a surge of interest due to the advent of Transformation Optics (TO) which has enabled a new generation of GRIN devices. Moreover, these devices often have better performance than what has been achieved with more traditional GRIN design techniques. In order to better understand the origins of this performance improvement, such TO-derived solutions are decomposed into a 2D-polynomial basis to analyze their behavior and to determine which terms improve optical performance: a study that involves thousands of iterations of numerical TO and ray tracing. By training a surrogate model to approximate the TO calculation, the procedure can be greatly accelerated, dramatically reducing the time of this study from weeks to hours.