Compact Zoom Metalens Doublet with Ultra-Wide Field of View and High Zoom Ratio

Mid-infrared imaging systems used in gas sensing, thermal diagnostics, and long-range surveillance increasingly demand compact optics capable of both wide-angle coverage and continuous zooming. Conventional refractive or diffractive zoom optics in the mid - wave infrared (MWIR, 3–5µm) band are bulky and difficult to scale, and existing metasurface zoom approaches are typically limited to the visible/NIR regime with narrow fields of view. Here, a mid-infrared Moiré meta-doublet is reported that provides 18× continuous optical zoom (10–180 mm) and >80° diffraction-limited field of view (FOV) using a mechanically simple mutual-angle rotation. The device integrates angle - of - incidence (AOI)-compensated phase synthesis and high-order Moiré polynomial correction to maintain stable point spread functions (PSFs), high Strehl ratios (SRs), and consistent modulation transfer function (MTF) response across the entire zoom range. Imaging demonstrations and USAF-1951 resolution test validate the robustness of the approach for wide-FOV sensing and compact thermal-vision platforms.