Orientation-selective elliptic higher-order Poincaré sphere beam arrays

Abstract

In this study, a new class of light-beam arrays, called orientation-selective elliptic higher-order Poincaré sphere (OS-EHOPS) beam arrays, is introduced as an extension of the scalar case reported in a previous study (Wang et al., 2020). For each beamlet of such beam arrays, the state of polarization represented by higher-/hybrid-order Poincaré spheres is spatially inhomogeneous, whereas the spatial profile takes on an elliptical shape with controllable orientation and ellipticity. The design procedure, which is rooted in multi-coordinate transformations, is comprehensively described and analyzed. Furthermore, we established an experimental setup involving a phase-only spatial light modulator that served as a Dammann grating and a common-path interferometer to effectively generate OS-EHOPS beam arrays. Two types of OS-EHOPS beam arrays, with hexagonal and double-ring-arranged structures, were synthesized to verify the feasibility of our method. Our design and optical system have potential applications in beam shaping and orientation-selective microfabrication.