HIGHLIGHT · Metasurface beam shapers for aerospace high-power laser links

Aerospace platforms experiencing the largest growth—such as drones and satellites—offer immense potential across many applications. However, these opportunities are currently constrained by conventional power and communication technologies. Long-range, high-power laser link systems, now transitioning from lab demonstrations to field pilots, promise to overcome these limitations.Instead of relying on bulky and limited onboard power sources and radio-frequency communication, laser-based systems offer high-bandwidth, low-latency communication coupled with wireless energy transfer. Yet, no existing material technology endures continuous-wave kilowatt-level laser irradiation while maintaining advanced optical performance, and structural integrity in real-world conditions. In fact, modern long-range laser links still rely on bulky beam directors whose coarse phase-shaping resolution limits efficiency and functionality in turbulence or low-visibility.In HIGHLIGHT we present a transformative solution: centimeter-scale, all-silica metasurface beam shapers—flat optics built from ultratall fused-silica nanopillars that survive extreme fluences and impose arbitrary, subwavelength phase profiles in the visible to near-infrared window. HIGHLIGHT will design and fabricate high-power metasurfaces and validate performance in continuous and pulsed regimes, as well as carry out market analysis and spin-off roadmap for industrial uptake, to validate this breakthrough for next-generation aerospace applications.