Nonlinear polarization evolution of hybridly polarized vector beams through isotropic Kerr nonlinearities.

Abstract

Structured intense laser interacting with matter will result in a variety of novel nonlinear optical effects, modulate the light propagation behavior, and change the structural property of a material. In this work, we theoretically investigate the spatial self-phase modulation (SSPM) effect, nonlinear ellipse rotation, and spin angular momentum (SAM) flux redistribution of hybridly polarized vector beams through isotropic Kerr nonlinearities. Experimentally, we observe the SSPM effect of the femtosecond-pulsed hybridly polarized vector beam in carbon disulfide at 800 nm, which is in agreement with the theoretical predictions. Our results show that the SSPM intensity pattern, the distribution of state of polarization (SoP), and the SAM flux of a hybridly polarized vector beam could be manipulated by tuning the isotropic optical nonlinearity, which may find interesting applications in nonlinear mechanism analysis, nonlinear optical characterization, and SAM manipulation.