Full Poincaré beams

Beckley, Amber M.; Brown, Thomas G.; Alonso, Miguel A.

doi:10.1364/oe.18.010777

Cited by 452 publications

(284 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…Yet, the generation of beams bearing isolated C-points (i.e., alone in a light beam) has been limited to these two cases [19][20][21]. The larger class of asymmetric C-points containing orientations evolving nonlinearly have been produced only in speckle patterns [6][7][8][9], or as C-point pairs (dipoles) in tailored beams [22].…”

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confidence: 99%

Generation of isolated asymmetric umbilics in light's polarization

et al. 2014

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Polarization-singularity C-points, a form of line singularities, are the vectorial counterparts of the optical vortices of spatial modes and fundamental optical features of polarization-spatial modes. Their generation in tailored beams has been limited to lemon and star C-points that contain symmetric dislocations in state-of-polarization patterns. In this article we present the theory and laboratory measurements of two complementary methods to generate isolated asymmetric C-points in tailored beams, of which symmetric lemons and stars are limiting cases; and we report on the generation of monstars, an asymmetric C-point with characteristics of both lemons and stars. So far, the study of line singularities relies on the diagnosis of natural occurrences. Non-separable superpositions of polarization and spatial mode of light can provide a vehicle for deliberately creating line-singularity patterns for their study. This polarization-spatial-mode hybridization also adds a new dimension to imaging, where polarization provides additional sensing information [10,11]. Different species exploit polarization-spatial combinations for their survival [12], and line singularities may provide the means to characterize them. At the quantum level, these hybrid modes provide larger Hilbert spaces for encoding information [13]. An investigation of polarization-spatial light modes is also essential for understanding this type of imaging at a deeper level [14].C-points are the umbilical points of the line singularities in the polarization of light because they connect the apex of two opposite cones (a diabolo): of semi-major and semi-minor axis lengths [2,15]. They consist of a state of circular polarization surrounded by a field of polarization ellipses in the optical field, with orientations that rotate about the C-point [16]. C-points are singular points of ellipse orientation. They are intimately linked to the optical vortices of scalar fields, but encode the optical dislocations in the state of polarization instead of the phase [17]. The production of the full spectrum of C-points is of interest in its own right, as it reveals a new domain of complex light not investigated before. The production and analysis of C-points are the basis for new techniques to produce and diagnose optical vortices, which are of interest in metrology due to their high sensitivity to perturbations [18].The two symmetric types of C-point singularities, known as lemons and stars, correspond to dislocations where the ellipse orientation varies linearly with and counter to the angle about the singularity, respectively. Yet, the generation of beams bearing isolated C-points (i.e., alone in a light beam) has been limited to these two cases [19][20][21]. The larger class of asymmetric C-points containing orientations evolving nonlinearly have been produced only in speckle patterns [6][7][8][9], or as C-point pairs (dipoles) in tailored beams [22].The two symmetric cases are the ends of a spectrum of C-points where the pattern of orientations in the ellipse f...

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confidence: 99%

Generation of isolated asymmetric umbilics in light's polarization

et al. 2014

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“…1, it appears that the polarization distribution on the left has rotated rigidly anti-clockwise by π/2, as observed in [2], while the polarization distribution on the right has rotated rigidly anti-clockwise by π/4. Although these results seem to contradict the predicted rotations of π/4 and 3π/4, respectively, on closer inspection one can see that while the polarization at each point on the transverse plane has indeed as predicted by 8, the apparent rotation of the polarization structure as a whole depends on the rotational symmetry of the pattern.…”

Section: Polarization Rotation During Linear Propagationmentioning

confidence: 67%

“…It has been shown previously that the polarization distribution of a lower-order Poincaré beam of ℓ L = 0, ℓ R = 1 and net OAM = 1, undergoes a rigid rotation of π/2 as it propagates linearly from the waist plane to the far field zone [2]. Here we derive an analytical expression for the polarization rotation of any FSL beam during linear propagation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 93%

“…The polarization of the beam will be axially symmetric about the beam's propagation axis and span the equator of the Poincaré sphere. If the two modes have different magnitudes of OAM, such that the resultant FSL beam carries a net OAM, the polarization will vary in both the angular and radial coordinates and covers all polarization states on the Poincaré sphere [2]. Note that we are working in the paraxial regime throughout, which is an excellent approximation as we are considering beam sizes that are larger than the wavelength, and that our analysis is based on vector superpositions of Laguerre-Gaussian modes, which are solutions of the paraxial wave equation in cylindrical coordinates [26].…”

Section: Fully-structured Light Beamsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Vector, or fully structured light (FSL), beams [1][2][3] have attracted increasing attention for a number of applications. These beams consist of a vector superposition of two scalar orbital angular momentum (OAM) carrying Laguerre-Gaussian (LG) eigenmodes with orthogonal polarizations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Control of polarization rotation in nonlinear propagation of fully structured light

Gibson

Bevington

Oppo³

et al. 2018

Phys. Rev. A

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Knowing, and controlling, the spatial polarization distribution of a beam is of importance in applications such as optical tweezing, imaging, material processing and communications. Here we show how the polarization distribution is affected by both linear and nonlinear (self-focussing) propagation. We derive an analytical expression for the polarization rotation of fully-structured light (FSL) beams during linear propagation and show that the observed rotation is due entirely to the difference in Gouy phase between the two eigenmodes comprising the FSL beams, in excellent agreement with numerical simulations. We also explore the effect of cross-phase modulation due to self-focusing (Kerr) nonlinearity and show that polarization rotation can be controlled by changing the eigenmodes of the superposition, and physical parameters such as the beam size, the amount of Kerr nonlinearity and the input power. Finally, we show that by biasing cylindrical vector (CV) beams to have elliptical polarization, we can vary the polarization state from radial through spiral to azimuthal using nonlinear propagation.

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Light Beams with Spatially Variable Polarization

Galvez

2015

Photonics

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Full Poincaré beams

Cited by 452 publications

References 22 publications

Generation of isolated asymmetric umbilics in light's polarization

Generation of isolated asymmetric umbilics in light's polarization

Control of polarization rotation in nonlinear propagation of fully structured light

Light Beams with Spatially Variable Polarization

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