Transverse shift of the transmitted beam of anon-uniformly polarized paraxial light beam at dielectric interfaces

This paper reports that the central position of the reflected and transmitted beams of a nonlinear polarized light beam at the interface between two media undergoes transverse shifts. It presents a solution to the problem of transverse shift of a non-uniformly polarized paraxial light beam transmitting through interfaces between two homogeneous media by using a two-form amplitude and an extension matrix to represent the vector angular spectrum of a three-dimensional （3D） light beam. It derives general formula for the transverse shift of the transmitted beam, and discusses the shift of a well-collimated beam transmitting through an interface between two homogeneous media and a thin dielectric slab.     

Focal field computation of an arbitrarily polarized beam using fast Fourier transforms

In this work the vectorial diffraction theory of Richards and Wolf is extended to compute the focal field components of an arbitrarily polarized beam using fast Fourier transform (FFT) operations. Here the arbitrarily polarized pupil function is written as the vector sum of two mutually perpendicularly polarized pupil functions. The FFT based focal field expressions are particularly useful to compute the focal field components of pupil functions without a simple analytical form. We have then applied these expressions to simulate the effects of Zernike mode aberrations on the point spread functions of a number of important cylindrical-vector beam profiles such as radially and azimuthally polarized and helical light beams.     

Beam moments and angular momentum in non-uniformly polarized beams

The angular momentum of non-uniformly totally polarized beams is investigated using methods from the beam characterization approach. The relationship between the elements of the beam matrix for the two components of the field and the angular momentum is given. The unconventional distribution of the polarization across the beam profile could result in contributions to both the spin and orbital terms of the angular momentum. To illustrate this, a particular example with a vortex beam is considered.     

Analytical structure of an apertured vector Gaussian beam in the far field

Based on the angular spectrum representation of the Maxwell’s equations and the complex Gaussian expansion of the aperture function, the structure of an apertured vector Gaussian beam in the far field is presented in the integral form. By means of the method of stationary phase, the analytical vectorial structures are obtained. According to the analytical expressions, the characteristics of vectorial structure of an apertured Gaussian beam are investigated in the far field. The influence of a linearly polarized angle on the vectorial structure is also studied in the far field. This research provides a novel approach to further comprehend the vectorial property of an apertured Gaussian beam.     

Focusing and phase compensation of paraxial beams by a left-handed material slab

On the basis of angular spectrum representation, a formalism describing paraxial beams propagating through an isotropic left-handed material (LHM) slab is presented. The treatment allows us to introduce the ideas of beam focusing and phase compensation by LHM slab. Because of the negative refractive index of LHM slab, the inverse Gouy phase shift and the negative Rayleigh length of paraxial Gaussian beam are proposed. It is shown that the phase difference caused by the Gouy phase shift in right-handed material (RHM) can be compensated by that caused by the inverse Gouy phase shift in LHM. If certain matching conditions are satisfied, the intensity and phase distributions at object plane can be completely reconstructed at the image plane.     

Stokes parameters and degree of polarization of nonparaxial stochastic electromagnetic beams

On the basis of angular spectrum representation and the stationary-phase method, far-field expressions for generalized Stokes parameters of nonparaxial stochastic electromagnetic beams are derived, which permits us to study the changes in the ordinary Stokes parameters upon propagation, and the changes in the spectral degree of polarization of partially polarized nonparaxial stochastic electromagnetic beams. It is shown that the spectral degree of polarization changes across the section on beam propagation.     

非傍轴矢量光束二阶矩的发散特性

基于非傍轴矢量光束横截面上光强的精确表示和矢量二阶矩理论,应用严格的角谱表示的矢量衍射理论,对任意非傍轴矢量衍射光束的传输进行了系统的研究.给出了光束的束宽、横向发散角的积分表达式,论证了非傍轴矢量光束二阶矩的发散特性.对非傍轴矢量光束的束宽、发散角的定义及一些相关的问题进行了分析和讨论. 关键词： 矢量衍射理论 光束传输 矢量二阶矩 发散特性     

On the vectorial structure of non-paraxial radially polarized light fields

To describe in a detailed way the polarization features of non-paraxial radially polarized fields, a simple analytical propagation law is provided in terms of their angular plane-wave spectrum. A comparison between non-paraxial results and paraxial predictions is investigated by introducing a parameter describing the width of the angular spectrum. Two particular examples of radially polarized light fields are also considered: Bessel-type fields whose angular spectrum is confined on a Montgomery’s ring, and certain radially polarized Laguerre-Gauss beams.     

Inscription of holographic gratings using circularly polarized light: influence of the optical set-up on the birefringence and surface relief grating properties

The polarization properties of the optical set-up used for holographic recording of diffraction gratings on azopolymer thin films are analyzed. The state of polarization of circularly polarized light is fully analyzed after reflection on a mirror at various incidences (Lloyd-mirror set-up). The Stokes analysis is performed using a photopolarimeter and the phase shift, the ellipticity and the azimuth orientation are compared with those calculated from Fresnel formulae. At large angles of incidence, an initially right circularly polarized (RCP) beam becomes elliptically polarized with an azimuth of nearly +45°. From these results, holographic diffraction gratings are recorded on an azobenzene-containing polymer thin film using (i) co- and contra-circularly polarized beams and (ii) a right circularly polarized beam interfering with a +45° linearly polarized light beam. Using Jones-matrix formalism, the polarization states of the diffracted orders from the birefringence (Δn) and the surface-relief (2Δd) gratings are derived and compared with experimental measurements. Finally, the induced local birefringences and surface-relief amplitudes are discussed in connection with atomic force microscopy measurements. The diffraction efficiencies obtained under the (+45°+RCP) and (LCP + RCP) (where LCP = left circularly polarized) configurations are thus compared and discussed. Received: 5 October 2001 / Revised version: 26 November 2001 / Published online: 17 January 2002     

Tightly Focusing of Circularly Polarized Vortex Beams through a Uniaxial Birefringent Crystal

Under the approximation of small birefringence, the properties of circularly polarized vortex beams tightly focused through a uniaxial birefringent crystal are studied. With the proper combination of the topological charge and the birefringence, the small focus, the small bottle beam and the inverse c-shaped intensity profile can be obtained. The effects of the focal shift and the Strehl ratio on the birefringence are analysed. A relation between angular momentum （included spin and orbital） and topological Pancharatnam charge is also presented.     

New Expressions for Dark-Hollow Light Beams

A class of new light beams of dark-hollow beams, named sinusoidal dark-hollow beams, is introduced. The propagation formula for a sinusoidal dark-hollow beam through a paraxial ABCD optical system is derived. The propagation properties of the sinusoidal dark-hollow beam are comparatively studied and illustrated with numerical examples.     

Coherent and incoherent polarization encoding of electromagnetic fields

We study a method generating certain distributions of the degree and state of polarization of a light field across a transverse beam cross-section. We use the introduced polarization encoding scheme to study the distribution of polarization ellipses in a cross-section of a beam generated by superposing two encoded beams, the effects of coherence relation between the input beams on this distribution were theoretically analyzed and illustrated by contour plots of the parameters representing polarization ellipses.     

Reflection of the light beam carrying orbital angular momentum from a lossy medium

It is shown that after reflection from a lossy medium the s- or p-polarized paraxial light beam carrying the orbital angular momentum suffers the 2D shift of the beam's centre of gravity relative the geometric optic axis. The direction as well as the length of the 2D vector, which describes the shift, change smoothly with the change of the angle of incidence.     

Airy-Gaussian光束的解析矢量结构

采用矢量角谱的方法分析了Airy-Gaussian光束的矢量结构, 运用静态相位法得出了光束远场矢量结构的解析表达式. 根据得到的TE项和TM项的解析表达式, 分别研究了TE项和TM项及整个光束的能流分布. 更好地阐明了Airy-Gaussian光束的物理图像, 从而为操控光束提供潜在的新方法. 关键词： Airy-Gaussian光束 解析矢量结构 矢量角谱法 静态相位法     

Topological defects, geometric phases, and the angular momentum of light

Recent reports on the intriguing features of vector vortex bearing beams are analyzed using geometric phases in optics. It is argued that the spin redirection phase induced circular birefringence is the origin of topological phase singularities arising in the inhomogeneous polarization patterns. A unified picture of recent results is presented based on this proposition. Orbital angular momentum (OAM) shift within the light beam has exact equivalence with the angular momentum holonomy associated with the geometric phase consistent with our conjecture.     

Generation of a radially polarized doughnut mode of high quality

We present an experimental set-up to generate laser beams with locally varying polarization distribution. In a linear set-up, a radially polarized beam of high quality regarding intensity distribution, polarization and phase-front distortion is generated. This beam can be used for tight focusing. Further applications are discussed.     

Investigation of the center intensity of first- and second-order Laguerre-Gaussian beams with linear and circular polarization

The vectorial Debye integral shows that tightly focused Laguerre-Gaussian (LG) beams have a residual intensity at the focal point for linear polarization, for a topological charge of m=1 and 2. We measured the shapes of linearly and circularly polarized LG beams and found that a central intensity appeared at m=1 and 2 for linear and right-handed circular polarization, however, it is completely canceled for left-handed circular polarization. In general, when the orbital angular momentum of the LG beam is parallel to the spin angular momentum of the photons, zero intensity is always achieved at the focus.     

Role of spatial coherence in Goos-Hänchen and Imbert-Fedorov shifts

We present a theory for Goos-H?nchen (GH) and Imbert-Fedorov (IF) shifts for beams of light with arbitrary spatial coherence. By applying the well-known theory of partial spatial coherence, we can calculate explicitly spatial and angular GH and IF shifts for completely polarized beams of any shape and spatial coherence. For the specific case of a Gauss-Schell source, we find that only the angular part of GH and IF shifts is affected by the spatial coherence of the beam. A physical explanation of our results is given.     

Propagation of elegant Hermite cosine Gaussian laser beams

In this paper, a more generalized beam containing an elegant Hermite Gaussian beam and a cosine Gaussian beam, which is called elegant Hermite cosine Gaussian (EHcoG) beam, is introduced and studied. The propagation properties of the EHcoG laser beams through a first-order paraxial optical system are demonstrated analytically and numerically. The recurrence propagation equations of the EHcoG beams through a first-order paraxial optical system with and without aperture are derived, from which the analytical propagation expression for EHcoG beams of any order can be obtained by means of the recursive procedures. The validity of the analytical results is confirmed by the numerical results.