High-power efficient multiple optical vortices in a single beam generated by a kinoform-type spiral phase plate

Generation and Detection of Optical Vortices with Multiple Cascaded Spiral Phase Plates

Spiral phase plate (SPP) is the widely used method in the generation of vortex beam (VB) with fixed topological charges (TCs) for specific wavelength. Although VB with large TCs can be directly generated by using the SPP with high vortex order. The fabrication of high-quality SPPs with high vortex orders usually requires complex manufacturing process and high machining accuracy. An alternative method to generate VBs with large TCs is cascaded multiple SPPs with low order. In this study, we numerically calculate the transmitted light field of cascaded multiple SPPs according to the Huygens–Fresnel diffraction integral, and perform the experimental verifications. Based on cascading 6 SPPs (3 SPPs with TCs of 2, and 3 SPPs with TCs 4, respectively), an VB with TCs as high as 18 is generated. Furthermore, The TCs of the generated VB are detected by coaxial and off-axis interfering with fundamental Gaussian beam or its conjugate beam, respectively. The generated fork and spiral patterns allow us to distinguish the value and sign of TCs carried by the VB. The experimental results coincide well with the theoretical simulations. The fork pattern shows better resolution than the spiral one, and the petal pattern with small spiral allows us to distinguish large TCs with a higher resolution.

Near-Field Vortex Beams Diffraction on Surface Micro-Defects and Diffractive Axicons for Polarization State Recognition

The diffraction of vortex Gaussian laser beams by elementary objects of micro-optics (surface micro-defects) to recognize the type of polarization (linear, circular, radial, azimuthal) of the input radiation was investigated in this paper. We considered two main types of defects (protrusion and depression in the form of a circle and a square) with different sizes (the radius and height were varied). Light propagation (3D) through the proposed micro-defects was modeled using the finite difference time domain (FDTD) method. The possibility of recognizing (including size change) of surface micro-defects (protrusions and depressions) and all the above types of polarization are shown. Thus, micro-defects act as sensors for the polarization state of the illuminating beam. The focusing properties of micro-defects are compared with diffractive axicons with different numerical apertures (NAs). The possibility of sub-wavelength focusing with element height change is demonstrated. In particular, it is numerically shown that a silicon cylinder (protrusion) forms a light spot with a minimum size of the all intensity FWHM of 0.28λ.

Generation of an asymmetric optical vortex array with tunable singularity distribution

Light beams with multiple phase singularities, namely, optical vortex arrays (OVAs), can be generated via coherent superpositions of symmetric laser modes, e.g., the combination of a circular vortex beam and a Gaussian beam. Further, a non-trivial evolution of the singularity structure can be obtained when the system's symmetry is broken. In this paper, we propose an asymmetric OVA (AOVA) with a highly tunable structure. The AOVA is generated by the coaxial superposition of a vortex beam and an elliptical Gaussian beam in the waist plane. After the interference of the two beams, the original high-order phase singularity residing on the beam axis breaks up into multiple +1 and -1 order vortices. The vortices are located at discrete azimuthal angles and different distances from the beam center. Unlike previous OVAs with annular shapes, the AOVA can present various singularity structures devoid of rotational symmetry, which are decided by the radii of the elliptical Gaussian beam and the topological charge of the vortex beam. Furthermore, we theoretically show that the number, sign, and distribution of local singularities can be modulated by defining two azimuthal discriminant functions. Numerical simulations and visualizations are also carried out. This work provides a new perspective for designs of connected OVAs and may find potential applications, especially in particle manipulation, optical communication, and optical metrology.

Spectral control of the orbital angular momentum of a laser beam based on 3D properties of spiral phase plates fabricated for an infrared wavelength

This paper examines the spectral properties of a spiral phase plate (SPP) generating orbital angular momentum (OAM) beams. A simple method is proposed for calculating the resulting OAM by measuring only two maximum expansion coefficients. A comparative numerical simulation of the proposed and traditional methods is performed. An SPP is fabricated for generation of an OAM with integer values at infrared and visible wavelengths. Qualitative experimental studies of the changes in a generated OAM with a change in the operating wavelength are performed using the spatial filtering method. The experimental results are found to agree with the results of numerical simulation. Beams with integer and fractional OAM values are obtained experimentally by changing the wavelength.

Focused laser lithographic system with sub-wavelength resolution based on vortex laser induced opacity of photochromic material

A focused laser lithographic system combines with vortex laser induced opacity of photochromic layer to write patterns with linewidth below wavelength. A photochromic layer is formed by coating the mixture of metanil yellow and aqueous PVA solution on the photoresist layer. In our system, the center of a lithographic laser with a 405 nm wavelength coincides with the center of vortex laser with a 532 nm wavelength. When a photochromic layer is illuminated by both lasers simultaneously, the absorbance for the lithographic laser decreases at the hollow region of the vortex laser but increases at its annular region, so that a transparent aperture for the lithographic laser is created and its size could be tuned by changing the power of vortex laser; therefore, the linewidth of written patterns is variable. Experimentally, using a 20× lens (NA = 0.4), this system condenses the linewidth of written patterns from 6614 to 350 nm.

Formation of optical vortices through superposition of two Gaussian beams

We observe phase singularities in the superposed field of two Gaussian beams. It is seen that the formation of these singularities depends on the tilt between two Gaussian beams and the separation of their beam axes. By reversing the angle or the position of the beams, one can change the sign of the vortex. We have shown the formation of single as well as multiple vortices by changing the tilt angle and the position of two Gaussian beams. The experimental results are verified with theoretical analysis. We also observe that such a vortex structure can be formed through superposition of two backreflected Gaussian beams from any optical element with two flat surfaces, as illustrated through a beam splitter and a neutral density filter. This technique is very useful for generation of vortices with high-power lasers where one cannot use a spatial light modulator.

Design, fabrication, and evaluation of a multilevel spiral-phase Fresnel zone plate for optical trapping

A compact optics configuration for the generation of donut beams for trapping atoms at the micrometer scale using a multilevel spiral-phase Fresnel zone plate (FZP) and a semiconductor laser is proposed. A FZP is designed and a multilevel spiral phase is integrated into it. A spiral-phase FZP with a radius of 1 mm and with more than 1300 half-period zones is designed with multiple angular levels for integer and fractional topological charges, and the device is fabricated using electron-beam lithography direct writing. The performance of the device is evaluated, and the generation of symmetric and asymmetric donut beams is successfully demonstrated.

Generation of high-order optical vortices using directly machined spiral phase mirrors

We report on the generation of high-order optical vortices by spiral phase mirrors (SPMs). The mirrors are produced by direct machining with a diamond tool and are shown to produce high-quality optical vortices with topological charges ranging from 1 to upwards of 100 at a wavelength of 532 nm. The direct machining technique is flexible and offers the promise of high-precision, large-diameter SPMs that are compatible with high optical powers.

Vortex array laser beam generation from a Dove prism-embedded unbalanced Mach-Zehnder interferometer

This paper proposes a new scheme for generating vortex laser beams from a laser. The proposed system consists of a Dove prism embedded in an unbalanced Mach-Zehnder interferometer configuration. This configuration allows controlled construction of p x p vortex array beams from Ince-Gaussian modes, IG(e) (p,p) modes. An incident IG(e)(p,p) laser beam of variety order p can easily be generated from an end-pumped solid-state laser system with an off-axis pumping mechanism. This study simulates this type of vortex array laser beam generation, analytically derives the vortex positions of the resulting vortex array laser beams, and discusses beam propagation effects. The resulting vortex array laser beam can be applied to optical tweezers and atom traps in the form of two-dimensional arrays, or used to study the transfer of angular momentum to micro particles or atoms (Bose-Einstein condensate).

Generation of an optical vortex with a segmented deformable mirror

We present a method for the creation of optical vortices by using a deformable mirror. Optical vortices of integer and fractional charge were successfully generated at a wavelength of 633 nm and observed in the far field (2000 mm). The obtained intensity patterns proved to be in agreement with the theoretical predictions on integer and fractional charge optical vortices. Interference patterns between the created optical vortex carrying beams and a reference plane wave were also produced to verify and confirm the existence of the phase singularities.

Generation of doughnutlike vortex beam with tunable orbital angular momentum from lasers with controlled Hermite-Gaussian modes

This study demonstrates successive higher-order Hermite-Gaussian (HG(0,m)) mode operations in a microchip solid-state laser with a controlled off-axis laser diode (LD) pumping and generation of the corresponding doughnutlike laser beam of tunable ring diameter and orbital angular momentum, by experimentally focusing a Hermite-Gaussian mode (HGM) lasing beam into an astigmatic mode converter (AMC) with a mode-matching lens. Based on the successful generation of stable doughnutlike vortex beams by combining the LD off-axis pumping of microchip lasers and an AMC, this study proposes a design for a compact, solid doughnutlike vortex laser beam generator that combines three elements (i.e., laser cavity, mode-matching lens, and AMC) into one practical device. The desired doughnutlike vortex beam with different orbital angular momentum is easily generated by simply controlling the lateral off-axis pump position and pump beam shape on the laser crystal by numerical simulation.