Lenses are common components in optical experiments and are essential in imaging systems. However, with the development of new optical imaging technologies such as integrated imaging, traditional optical lenses face challenges in miniaturization and integration due to their large size. In recent years, meta-lenses, as planar optical elements, can manipulate light in terms of polarization, amplitude, phase, and other aspects by designing sub-wavelength units. These unique optical properties have also made meta-lenses a hot topic in the field of micro-nano optics in recent years. To inspire students’ interest in researching cutting-edge topics, this paper introduces the working principle of meta-lenses and designs a converging electromagnetic meta-lens. Through numerical simulation and experimental characterization, the focusing performance and anomalous dispersion characteristics of the meta-lens are validated, helping students to better understand meta-lenses and promoting the integration of teaching and research.

The research of rectangular metal waveguide modes is the key content of advanced optics and electrodynamics courses. In most of the existing college physics textbooks, the intrinsic electromagnetic field distribution of rectangular metal waveguide mode is obtained through formula derivation, while undergraduates lack intuitive perception of electromagnetic field distribution during the learning process. In this paper, the near-field electromagnetic scanning system is used to obtain the image of rectangular metal waveguide modes. Firstly, we measured the transmission coefficient of the rectangular metal waveguide and characterized the cutoff frequency of the waveguide modes. The electric field distribution of waveguide modes with different frequency was measured, and the experimental results were compared with the theoretical and numerical simulation results. The experimental results reflect the electromagnetic field distribution of the eigenmode vividly, which is helpful for students to understand and master the characteristics of the rectangular metal waveguide mode.