Abstract
Abstract Vectorial structured light fields have displayed properties advantageous in many disciplines ranging from communications, microscopy and metrology to laser cutting and characterizing quantum channels. The generation of these fields has been made convenient through the implementation of nanophotonic metasurfaces amongst other static and digital techniques. Consequently, the detection and characterisation of these fields is of equal importance. Most existing techniques involve using separate polarization optics and correlation filters to perform the projective measurements – or are only able to perform such measurements on a subset of possible vector states. We present a compact, fully automated measurement technique based on a digital micro-mirror device (DMD), which facilitates the complete, local and global, characterisation of the spatial mode and polarization degrees-of-freedom (DOFs) for arbitrary vectorial fields. We demonstrate our approach through the identification of relevant hybrid-order Poincaré spheres, the reconstruction of state vectors on these spheres, as well as the recovery of the non-separability and states-of-polarization for a variety of vector beams.
Highlights
The field of structured light focuses on the tailoring of light’s degrees-of-freedom (DOFs) to probe fundamental features of nature as well as to extend the industrial optics toolbox [1,2,3]
Fully automated measurement technique based on a digital micro-mirror device (DMD), which facilitates the complete, local and global, characterisation of the spatial mode and polarization degrees-of-freedom (DOFs) for arbitrary vectorial fields
We demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach on a variety of vector beams including beams with large orbital angular momentum (OAM), fractional OAM and beams with non-zero radial orders
Summary
The field of structured light focuses on the tailoring of light’s degrees-of-freedom (DOFs) to probe fundamental features of nature as well as to extend the industrial optics toolbox [1,2,3]. In this work we present a system, based on a DMD capable of performing sequential and simultaneous spatial and polarization measurements on arbitrary vector fields, permitting their full characterization in a rapid, compact and completely automated manner. Demonstrated methods which have been used to acquire polarization and phase information have been reliant on interference with reference plane waves leading to cumbersome optical systems [29, 30], while other techniques use light with polarization known a priori to probe anisotropic systems [31]. Our system provides a versatile, fast and compact solution to full field characterization without any prior information or reference. Our scheme serves as a versatile automated detection solution to complement the growing utilisation of vector fields in research and industrial settings
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
