Relying on the local orientation of nanostructures, Pancharatnam–Berry metasurfaces are currently enabling a new generation of polarization-sensitive optical devices. A systematical mesoscopic description of topological metasurfaces is developed, providing a deeper understanding of the physical mechanisms leading to the polarization-dependent breaking of translational symmetry in contrast with propagation phase effects. These theoretical results, along with interferometric experiments contribute to the development of a solid analytical framework for arbitrary polarization-dependent metasurfaces.

Visual perception relies on light scattering at the object's surface in the direction of observation. By engineering the surface scattering properties, it is possible to realize arbitrary visual percept. Here, we address theoretically this problem of electromagnetic field transition conditions at conformal interfaces to achieve surface topography-dependent transmitted and reflected fields. Our analysis, supported by two-and three-dimensional finite element simulations, provides a solid theoretical framework to design metasurfaces for cloaking, wearable optics and next generation of freeform imaging systems.