Focus evolution of linearly polarized Lorentz beam with sine-azimuthal variation wavefront induced by one on-axis optical vortex

Focus evolution of linearly polarized Lorentz beam with sine-azimuthal variation wavefront induced by one on-axis optical vortex was investigated theoretically in this article. Calculation results show that the focal pattern can be altered considerably by the charge number of on-axis optical vortex under condition of certain beam parameters and phase parameter that indicates the sine phase change frequency on increasing azimuthal angle. And the focal evolution principle differs remarkably for different beam parameters and the phase parameter. In focus evolution process, some novel focal patterns appear, including annular focal pattern, two-peak focal pattern, intensity lines, hexagon containing two peaks, swallowtail shape, multipede shape, and complex focal pattern. Introduction of optical vortex adds one controllable parameter to alter focal pattern, which may extend application of Lorentz beam in some focusing systems.     

Focal patterns of higher order hyperbolic-cosine-Gaussian beam with one optical vortex

Intensity distribution in focal region plays an important role in many optical systems. In this paper, the focal patterns of higher order hyperbolic-cosine-Gaussian (HOCG) beam in focal plane were investigated. The HOCG beam contains one spiral optical vortex on its optical axis. Results show that the focal pattern can be altered considerably by beam order of the incident HOCG beam, and some novel focal patterns may occur, including foursquare focal pattern, cross-shaped dark focal focus, foursquare intensity peaks chain, and multiple intensity peaks array. Focal pattern evolution principle on increasing beam order also differs remarkably under condition of different topological charge of the optical vortex and displacement parameter associated with the cosh parts. And like topological charge and displacement parameter, the beam order and numerical aperture may affect focal pattern.     

平板式螺旋相位板的设计与应用

传统的螺旋相位板是一种利用沿方位角方向介质材料高度递增实现对光束相位调控产生涡旋光束的光学器件,由于这种特殊的几何结构特征使其不能通过相位板的叠加而调控出射光束所携带的角量子数.本文基于坐标变换方法将介质材料沿方位角方向折射率不变而高度递增的传统螺旋相位板变换为一种介质材料沿方位角方向高度不变而折射率递增的平板式螺旋相位板.通过理论分析与数值模拟,发现本文所设计的平板式螺旋相位板不仅与传统螺旋相位板一样能够产生高质量的涡旋光束,而且平板式螺旋相位板的高度和涡旋光束携带的角量子数可以根据介质材料的折射率选取而任意调节.为了实际应用的需要,可以通过叠加多层平板式螺旋相位板以获得不同角量子数的涡旋光束.这种平板式螺旋相位板在光传输、光通信等领域具有广阔的潜在应用价值.     

利用衍射光栅探测涡旋光束轨道角动量态的研究进展

涡旋光束是一种携带有轨道角动量的光束,在光学扳手、光通信、旋转探测等领域具有重要的应用价值.由于轨道角动量态是涡旋光束的特征值,因此如何探测光束的轨道角动量态分布至关重要.国内外学者已经提出了多种探测涡旋光束的技术,如干涉法、衍射光栅法、多普勒分析法、超材料表面法等.这些技术中,衍射光栅测量法较为简单易行,应用较广.本综述主要介绍了几种当前利用衍射光栅测量涡旋光束轨道角动量态的主流方法,同时也介绍了如何利用衍射光栅来测量光束的轨道角动量谱.     

利用全息法在偶氮聚合物薄膜中记录涡旋光场

利用全息技术在偶氮聚合物薄膜中记录了拓扑荷数q=–1,1,2,4的涡旋光场,并将记录的原始叉形光栅与计算全息光栅进行对比,对不同拓扑荷数涡旋光的记录速率和偶氮材料的可重复擦写性能进行了测试;记录完成后,将复现涡旋光与高斯光束干涉,并与原始涡旋光和原始叉形光栅对比,分析了记录质量.实验结果表明:高阶涡旋光场的全息叉形光栅会在记录过程中发生劈裂,轻微劈裂的涡旋光束仍维持一个稳定的环状结构;全息记录过程中不同拓扑荷数的涡旋光束记录速率较为统一,偶氮材料可经过上百次的擦写而不出现疲劳;再现涡旋光与原始涡旋光在光强分布结构上保持高度一致,再现涡旋光的干涉条纹与原始涡旋全息光栅保持高度一致,涡旋光及其携带的拓扑荷信息可被有效记录和读取.     

Polarization-Controlled Topological Charge Inversion of Optical Vortices in Multielliptical Optical Fibers

Analytical expressions for higher-order modes with azimuthal number |?|≥ 2and their propagation constants for multielliptical optical fibers exhibiting a torsional mechanical stress are obtained in the vicinity of the resonance twist-pitch values. It is demonstrated that the resonance modes represent a superposition of two optical vortices with identical circular polarization and opposite signs of the topological charge. The effect of topological-charge inversion of the output optical vortex controlled by a change of sign of the circular polarization of the input beam is predicted. This effect paves the way to creating a logical CNOT element based on multielliptical fibers.     

Focus shaping of cylindrically polarized vortex beams by a high numerical-aperture lens

The focus-shaping technique of a cylindrically polarized vortex beam by a high numerical-aperture lens is reported. Such a polarized vortex beam is decomposed into radial and azimuthal polarization. It is shown that the total intensity distribution in the focal region is dependent not only on the numerical-aperture maximal angle and the polarization rotation angle but also on the topological charge. By choosing the proper combination of parameters, the adjustably confined flat-topped focus and focal hole can be obtained. The focus-shaping technique may find wide applications, such as optical tweezers, laser printing and material processing.     

Detecting the topological charge of vortex beams using an annular triangle aperture

The Fraunhofer diffraction pattern of a vortex beam by an annular triangle aperture is analyzed theoretically and experimentally. It is found that the pattern of the far-field diffraction intensity distribution exhibits a triangular lattice array, which becomes much clearer with the increase of the ratio of the inner to the outer side of the annular triangle aperture. The number of spot points of any external side of the triangular lattice array minus one is just equal to the topological charge value of the measured optical vortex. For the vortex beam with negative topological charge, the triangular diffraction pattern after the annular triangle aperture will be rotated by 180° in relation to the case of the positive topological charge. Based on the above properties, we propose a simple and feasible method to determine the magnitude and sign of the topological charge of an optical vortex beam.     

Generation of Circular Optical Vortex Array

We report on a novel optical vortex array named circular optical vortex array, which is generated by the superposition of two concentric perfect optical vortices. The circular optical vortex array has a constant topological charge of +1 or ?1, the number and sign of which are determined by the topological charges of the two perfect optical vortices. Moreover, the radius of the circular optical vortex array is easily adjusted by using the cone angle of an axicon. Furthermore, the circular optical vortex array and multiple circular optical vortex array can be rotated by changing the initial phase difference of the perfect optical vortices on demand. This work demonstrates a complex structured optical field, which is of significance for applications such as optical tweezers, micro‐particle manipulation, and optical imaging.     

Gradient force evolution of Gaussian beam induced by a phase plate

The evolution of gradient force pattern induced by an annular phase distribution plate is numerically investigated in this paper. The phase plate, which may alter the wavefront phase of incident Gaussian beam with tunable topological charge, consists of two concentric portions, one center circle portion and one annular portion. Numerical simulations show that the proposed plate can induce the tunable gradient force on the particles in the focal region. By adjusting the geometrical parameters or changing the topological charge of the phase-shifting plate, some novel trap patterns may occur, such as triangle shape trap, quadrangle shape trap, pentagon shape trap, hexagon shape trap, and the shapes of optical traps change very considerably. Therefore, the phase plate may be very advantageous for constructing tunable optical traps. The method is more versatile in that it allows precise control of the parameters and has the possibility of generating specific patterns of optical vortices. The gradient force pattern focal of intensity distribution depends on both the annular width and the topological charge.     

Topological charge inversion in polynomial astigmatic Gaussian beams

The evolution of the global topological charge in a general polynomial astigmatic Gaussian beam is investigated. The leading order terms of the polynomial prefactor determines the global topological charge and can be expressed as a product of first order polynomials, each representing an optical vortex function. We show that the global topological charge is bounded by the order of the polynomial and change during propagation in steps of 2 every time one of the optical vortices undergo topological charge inversion. We investigate the locations of the flip planes where charge inversions occur and provide expressions for a number of special cases. Numerical results are provided for an example of such a polynomial astigmatic Gaussian beam.     

Measuring the topological charge of vortex beams by using an annular ellipse aperture

We theoretically and experimentally investigate the Fraunhofer diffraction pattern of a vortex beam passing through an annular ellipse aperture. It is found that the pattern of the far-field diffraction intensity distribution exhibits some dark spots, which become clearer with increasing the value of the ellipticity factor of the annular ellipse aperture. The diffraction phenomenon is more obvious with increasing the value of the ratio of the inner long axis (or short axis) to the outer side of the annular ellipse aperture. The number of the dark spots in the Fraunhofer diffraction intensity distribution is just equal to the topological charge value of the measured optical vortex, and the centre of each dark spot is just a phase-singularity point. Based on this property, we can measure the topological charge of an optical vortex beam.     

Propagation dynamics of off-axis noncanonical vortices in a collimated Gaussian beam

It is widely accepted that an off-axis noncanonical vortex moves across the free-space diffracting Gaussian beam without rotation. But our analysis shows that the vortex swirls a while before it approaches infinite. By neglecting the divergence of the host beam, we focus on this rotation characteristics of the vortices in linear homogeneous media. For the symmetrical host beam, it is found that the vortex moves along an elliptical trajectory, while the topological charge and the angular momentum of the vortex core relative to the beam axis are conserved. For the asymmetrical host beam, the vortex trajectory is rather complicated, since the noncanonical parameter varies as the light propagates, resulting in topological charge inversion. But we find that the vortices are always confined in a rectangular area, and the rotation direction is determined by the topological charge.     

Intensity distribution properties of Gaussian vortex beam propagation in atmospheric turbulence

By using wave optics numerical simulation, the intensity-hole effect, beam spreading and wandering properties of Gaussian vortex beam propagation in atmospheric turbulence are investigated quantitatively. It is found that an intensity hole in the center of the beam pattern appears gradually as a Gaussian vortex beam propagates. The size of the intensity hole increases with the increase of the topological charge of the vortex phase. However, the intensity hole could to some extent be filled with optical energy by atmospheric turbulence, especially in strong turbulence. The radius of the intensity hole first decreases and then increases with the growth of turbulence strength. The effective radius of vortex beam with larger topological charge is greater than with a smaller topological charge. But the topological charge has no evident influence on beam wandering.     

Conversion of topological charge of optical vortices in a parametric frequency converter

It is shown that sum-frequency generation of light beams with vortices allows to construct vortices of different topological charges. An optical parametric amplifier enables to produce a vortex with opposite topological charge (to the reverse vortex). In this way, a frequency converter can be seen as a prototype of an optical processor which allows to produce simple arithmetical operations with topological charges of the interacting vortices.     

Optical vortices generated by multi-level achromatic spiral phase plates for broadband beams

We analyze the characterizations of the optical vortices generated by a multi-level achromatic spiral phase plate. The effective topological charge of the multi-level fractional spiral phase plate is expanded into Fourier series and the analytical formula of the relative intensity of each component is obtained. It is shown that the fractional part of the topological charge sharply reduces the purity of vortices. Using the 36 levels achromatic spiral phase plate, we can obtain a vortex beam with purity larger than 95% across a bandwidth exceeding 140 nm in the visible region of the spectrum.     

Fractional vortex lens

The properties of a fractional vortex lens are discussed and its focal plane intensity distribution is investigated. The azimuthal phase pattern of a fractional topological charge vortex and the quadratic phase variation of the lens are displayed on a spatial light modulator (SLM) that is used in the phase mode. The intensity distribution possesses a low intensity radial opening in contrast to the doughnut pattern formed by a vortex beam with integer charge. The presence of multiple singularities in the radial opening of the doughnut structure is detected interferometrically.     

Angular momentum density of a Gaussian vortex beam

The Gaussian vortex beam is assumed to be linearly polarized.The analytical expression of the electric field of a linearly polarized Gaussian vortex beam propagating in free space is derived by using the vectorial Rayleigh-Sommerfeld integral formulae.The propagating magnetic field of the linearly polarized Gaussian vortex beam is presented by taking the curl of the electric field.By employing the electromagnetic field of the linearly polarized Gaussian vortex beam beyond the paraxial approximation,the analytical expression of the angular momentum density of the linearly polarized Gaussian vortex beam is derived.The three components of the angular momentum density of a linearly polarized Gaussian vortex beam are demonstrated in the reference plane.The effects of the linearly polarized angle and the topological charge on the three components of the angular momentum density are investigated.To acquire the more longitudinal angular momentum density requires such an optimal choice that the linearly polarized angle is set to be zero and the topological charge increases.This research is useful to the optical trapping,the optical guiding,and the optical manipulation.     

Propagation of an Airy vortex beam in uniaxial crystals

The propagation dynamics of an Airy beam superimposed with a unit topological charge optical vortex is investigated analytically and numerically in uniaxial crystals orthogonal to the optical axis. Upon propagation, the Airy vortex beam is mainly dependent on the ratio of the extraordinary refractive index to the ordinary refractive index. Due to the anisotropic effect of the crystals, the acceleration of an Airy vortex beam in the transversal direction along the optical axis is more rapidly than that in the other transversal direction, which is alike to a conventional Airy beam but with twice the vortex acceleration velocity.     

Splitting of an edge dislocation by an optical vortex

In a linear medium an optical vortex induces the splitting of an edge dislocation into vortices of both topological charges. Their positions and number depend on which of the phase dislocations is shifted from the center of the host beam. Violations of the charge conservation law are discussed.