Vortex phase-induced properties of a partially coherent radially polarized circular Airy beam

Abstract

In this paper, partially coherent radially polarized vortex circular Airy beams (PCRPVCABs) are theoretically and experimentally studied for the first time. Comparing with partially coherent radially polarized circular Airy beam, the autofocusing ability of PCRPVCAB can be controlled or even enhanced by the topological charge of the vortex phase. Besides, we show a unique distribution of the degree of polarization, vortex-phase induced polarization transition, and the phenomenon of beam spot rotation after the PCRPVCAB passing through a polarizer. Our results make the PCRPVCAB a good candidate for optical micro-manipulation, free-space communications, formation of disordered optical lattices, etc.

Tight Focusing of Circular Partially Coherent Radially Polarized Circular Airy Vortex Beam

“…In the source plane z = 0, the electric field of a radially polarized circular Airy beam with vortex phase can be expressed as [21]…”

“…(r, ϕ) in Equation ( 1) are the polar coordinates in the source plane. Referring to the expression of a partially coherent radially polarized circular Airy beam in reference [21], the electric cross-spectral density matrix of a CPCRPCAB with an m-order concentric vortex can be described as…”

“…Therefore, research into the generation and propagation properties of partially coherent vortex beams has attracted more and more attention. Due to the potential value of their auto-focusing property in optical micro-manipulation and biomedical applications, nonlinear beams such as circular Airy beams have been widely studied for years [17][18][19][20][21]. Extending the study from coherent nonlinear beams to partially coherent beams, Tong Li and his collaborators introduced the partially coherent radially polarized circular Airy beam, which not only exhibits auto-focusing capability but also creates an optical potential well with adjustable depth [22].…”