Generation of arbitrary cylindrical vector vortex beams with cross-polarized modulation

Abstract

Cylindrical vector vortex beams (CVVBs), possessing both spatially nonuniform phase and polarization distribution, have attracted research interests in many applications due to their unique optical properties. Although various methods have been previously demonstrated, the generation of CVVBs with arbitrary topological charge and polarization order remains elusive. We introduce cross-polarized modulation method to construct CVVBs via changing the phases of the orthogonal polarization components of light beams. Two cross-polarized modulation approaches are demonstrated for conjugate and consistent phase orthogonal circular polarization beams. The phases of the orthogonal circular polarization components of light beams can be flexibly manipulated by exploiting the polarization-sensitivity of spatial light modulators, which leads to changed topological charges and polarization orders, and a group of CVVBs with different topological charges and polarization orders are successfully generated. Because of the adjustable orders and the single light path, the CVVBs generation method possess not only flexibility but also high stability.