Trapping volume control in optical tweezers using cylindrical vector beams

Mid-infrared pulsed Er:ZBLAN fiber laser producing mode-switchable cylindrical vector beams

We demonstrate the generation of both continuous-wave (CW) and Q-switched cylindrical vector beams (CVBs) from a mid-infrared Er3+-doped ZBLAN (Er:ZBLAN) fiber laser at ∼ 2.8 µm. A customized S-waveplate is incorporated as the intracavity mode converter to achieve the mid-infrared CVBs. Switchable modes of CVBs between the radially and azimuthally polarized beam can be realized easily by manipulating the cavity conditions. A maximum output power of ∼250 mW is achieved for the CW CVBs. In the short-pulsed CVBs operation regime, both the active and passive Q-switching modes are realized with a pulse duration of hundreds of nanoseconds. The proposed mid-infrared cylindrical vector lasers can have significant potential for applications in biomedicine, optical trapping, material processing and optical communication.

Taming Friedrich-Wintgen Interference in a Resonant Metasurface: Vortex Laser Emitting at an On-Demand Tilted Angle

Friedrich-Wintgen (FW) interference is an atypical coupling mechanism that grants loss exchange between leaky resonances in non-Hermitian classical and quantum systems. Intriguingly, such a mechanism makes destructive interference possible for scenarios in which a radiating wave becomes a bound state in the continuum (BIC) by giving away all of its losses. Here we propose and demonstrate experimentally an original concept to tailor FW-BICs with polarization singularity at on-demand wavevectors in an optical metasurface. As a proof-of-concept, using hybrid organic-inorganic halide perovskite as an active material, we empower this novel polarization singularity to obtain lasing emission, exhibiting both highly directional emission at oblique angles and a polarization vortex in momentum space. Our results pave the way to steerable coherent emission with a tailored polarization pattern for applications in optical communication/manipulation in free space, high-resolution imaging/focusing, and data storage.

Quantitative detection of high-order Poincaré sphere beams and their polarization evolution

The high-order Poincaré sphere (PS) introduces a mapping whereby any vector beams with spatially homogeneous ellipticity are represented by a specific point on the surface of the sphere. We propose the quantitative detection of high-order PS beams by introducing three sets of nonuniform polarization bases in the high-order Stokes parameters. Overall polarization detection is realized by directly separating and measuring the respective intensity of different nonuniform polarization bases based on S-plate. The polarization evolution of the PS beams on the high-order PS and between the conventional and the high-order PS are achieved by S-plate. The results provide new insights for the generation, evolution and detection of arbitrary beams on the high-order PS.

Multi-pixel photoconductive emitters for the controllable generation of azimuthal and radial terahertz beams

A multi-pixel photoconductive emitter is reported that generates THz beams with either azimuthal, radial or linear polarization states. Switching between the different polarization states was purely electrical, via the bias voltage applied, circumventing the need for mechanical polarization optics or different THz emitters to change the polarization. Dipole array modelling was performed to validate emitter array designs, and to explore their optimal bias configuration, while spatially-resolved electro-optic detection of the generated beams confirmed that cylindrical-vector beams were produced. We further demonstrate that the spatial beam profile was optimized by adjusting the bias level on particular pixels, improving the polarization purity of the beam.

Generation of combined half-integer Bessel-like beams using synthetic phase holograms

We discuss the generation of combined half-integer Bessel-like (CHB) beams using synthetic phase holograms (SPHs). We assess the efficiency and accuracy of the SPHs, in the task of generating CHB beams. The proposal is illustrated by the implementation of CHB beams, which are experimentally generated in a setup based on a phase spatial light modulator. Also, we analyze, numerically and experimentally, the propagation of the generated CHB beams. As the main result, the SPHs are able to generate several CHB beams with relatively high accuracy. Additionally, it is obtained that the efficiency values of the SPHs are close to the theoretical predictions.

Measurement and Control of Radially Polarized THz Radiation from DC-Biased Laser Plasma Filaments in Air

Detection and manipulation of radially polarized terahertz (THz) radiation is essential for many applications. A new measurement scheme is proposed for the diagnosis of radially polarized THz radiation from a longitudinal dc-biased plasma filament, by introducing a movable metal mask. The amplitude and spectrum of the radially polarized THz beam was measured with a <110>-cut ZnTe crystal, where the THz beam pattern was modulated by the mask. Based on this measurement scheme, it was demonstrated that the amplitude and spectrum of the radially polarized THz radiation from the longitudinal dc-biased filament could be manipulated by controlling the strength and the location of the dc-biased field.

Refractive Bi-Conic Axicon (Volcone) for Polarization Conversion of Monochromatic Radiation

A new element is proposed for producing an azimuthally polarized beam with a vortex phase dependence. The element is formed by two conical surfaces in such a way that the optical element resembles a mountain with a crater on top, like a volcano (volcanic cone is volcone). The element in the form of a refractive bi-conic axicon is fabricated by diamond turning, in which an internal conical cavity is made. Polarization conversion in this optical element occurs on the inner surface due to the refraction of beams at the Brewster angle. The outer surface is used to collimate the converted beam, which significantly distinguishes the proposed element from previously proposed approaches. The paper describes a method for calculating the path of beams through a refractive bi-conic axicon, taking into account phase and polarization conversions. In the case of incident circularly polarized radiation, azimuthally polarized ring-shape beam radiation is generated at the output. The proposed element is experimentally made of polymethyl methacrylate on a CNC milling machine. The experiment demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed element.

Direct experimental evidence for free-space fractional optical vortex transmutation

The emergence of vortex transmutation has opened new ways for vorticity modulation of optical vortices. Although several approaches have been proposed to realize vortex transmutation, fractional optical vortex (FOV) transmutation remains elusive owing to a lack of effective generation and detection methods. Here we report quantitative experimental evidence for a free-space FOV transmutation rule. The key idea is to combine the advantages of a single optical element, termed as fractional spiral polygonal lenses (FSPLs), with a deep learning approach. The desired wavefront is simultaneously generated and manipulated at the focal plane of the FSPL, and the fractional output vorticity is measured by analyzing a single far-field diffraction pattern. Especially, a deep learning scheme using a Bayesian optimization method is developed for output vorticity prediction with a data recovery rate up to 98.2%. The average error of recognized fractional orbital angular momentum modes is as small as 0.02. We clearly observe the intriguing phenomenon that the central vorticity of FOV is changed following a modulo-n transmutation rule in free space. Our results have important implications for fundamental understanding of FOV systems in free space, and offer a technological foundation for potential applications such as quantum information processing and particle manipulation and transportation.

Influence of slow light effect on trapping force in optical tweezers

We investigate the optical trapping of polystyrene microspheres in optical tweezers. The transverse capture gradient forces of polystyrene microspheres with different numerical aperture are theoretically and experimentally evaluated by the power spectral density roll-off method. It is found that the trapping force of the experimental measurement is much stronger than that of the theoretical results. The discordance is attributed to the slow light effect near the focus, which has been found in recent years [Science347, 857 (2015)10.1126/science.aaa3035; Opt. Express18, 10822 (2010)10.1364/OE.18.010822; Opt. Commun.332, 164 (2014)10.1016/j.optcom.2014.06.057]. The modified trapping force of the theoretical results by considering the slow light effect near the focus is well consistent with that of the experimental results.

Superposition of two fractional optical vortices and the orbital angular momentum measurement by a deep-learning method

We propose a single diffractive optical element called the composite fractional spiral zone plates to generate superimposed fractional optical vortices. Such an element is composed of two fractional spiral zone plates (FSZPs) through logical AND operation, and the produced beam carries superimposed fractional orbital angular momentum (OAM) states. By controlling the topological charge of the superimposed FSZPs, denoted by l₁ and l₂, one can flexibly obtain the desired superimposed fractional OAM modes of the generated beam. Especially, a deep-learning model with a densely connected convolutional neural network architecture is utilized to accurately predict the superimposed fractional OAM states of SFOVs. The average recovery rate of the superimposed fractional OAM states based on the training model is over 99%, and the average error is as small as 0.02. This work may pave the way for wide-ranging applications such as smart OAM communication, particle transmission, and even quantum entanglement.

Generation of vector beams using synthetic phase holograms

We discuss a class of synthetic phase holograms (SPHs) applied to the generation of vector fields. Each SPH encodes the transverse components of the vector field, modulated by different linear phase carriers. Such components, which are spatially separated by the carriers, are modulated by appropriate orthogonal polarizations. A final stage that makes the components collinear allows the generation of the vector field. We assess the efficiency and accuracy of the different SPHs, in the task of generating vector fields. The proposal is illustrated by the implementation of vector Bessel beams, which are experimentally generated in a setup based on a phase spatial light modulator.

Creation and control of high-dimensional multi-partite classically entangled light

Vector beams, non-separable in spatial mode and polarisation, have emerged as enabling tools in many diverse applications, from communication to imaging. This applicability has been achieved by sophisticated laser designs controlling the spin and orbital angular momentum, but so far is restricted to only two-dimensional states. Here we demonstrate the first vectorially structured light created and fully controlled in eight dimensions, a new state-of-the-art. We externally modulate our beam to control, for the first time, the complete set of classical Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger (GHZ) states in paraxial structured light beams, in analogy with high-dimensional multi-partite quantum entangled states, and introduce a new tomography method to verify their fidelity. Our complete theoretical framework reveals a rich parameter space for further extending the dimensionality and degrees of freedom, opening new pathways for vectorially structured light in the classical and quantum regimes.

Efficient optical trapping with cylindrical vector beams

Radially and azimuthally polarized beams can create needle-like electric and magnetic fields under tight focusing conditions, respectively, and thus have been highly recommended for optical manipulation. There have been reports on the superiority of these beams over the conventional Gaussian beam for providing a larger optical force in single beam optical trap. However, serious discrepancies in their experimental results prevent one from concluding this superiority. Here, we theoretically and experimentally study the impact of different parameters - such as spherical aberration, the numerical aperture of the focusing lens, and the particles' size - on optical trapping stiffness of radially, azimuthally, and linearly polarized beams. The result of calculations based on generalized Lorenz-Mie theory, which is in good agreement with the experiment, reveals that the studied parameters determine which polarization state has the superiority for optical trapping. Our findings play a crucial role in the development of optical tweezers setups and, in particular, in biophysical applications when laser-induced heating in the optical tweezers applications is the main concern.

A vector holographic optical trap

The invention of optical tweezers almost forty years ago has triggered applications spanning multiple disciplines and has also found its way into commercial products. A major breakthrough came with the invention of holographic optical tweezers (HOTs), allowing simultaneous manipulation of many particles, traditionally done with arrays of scalar beams. Here we demonstrate a vector HOT with arrays of digitally controlled Higher-Order Poincaré Sphere (HOPS) beams. We employ a simple set-up using a spatial light modulator and show that each beam in the array can be manipulated independently and set to an arbitrary HOPS state, including replicating traditional scalar beam HOTs. We demonstrate trapping and tweezing with customized arrays of HOPS beams comprising scalar orbital angular momentum and cylindrical vector beams, including radially and azimuthally polarized beams simultaneously in the same trap. Our approach is general enough to be easily extended to arbitrary vector beams, could be implemented with fast refresh rates and will be of interest to the structured light and optical manipulation communities alike.

Demonstration of a vectorial optical field generator with adaptive close loop control

We experimentally demonstrate a vectorial optical field generator (VOF-Gen) with an adaptive close loop control. The close loop control capability is illustrated with the calibration of polarization modulation of the system. To calibrate the polarization ratio modulation, we generate 45° linearly polarized beam and make it propagate through a linear analyzer whose transmission axis is orthogonal to the incident beam. For the retardation calibration, circularly polarized beam is employed and a circular polarization analyzer with the opposite chirality is placed in front of the CCD as the detector. In both cases, the close loop control automatically changes the value of the corresponding calibration parameters in the pre-set ranges to generate the phase patterns applied to the spatial light modulators and records the intensity distribution of the output beam by the CCD camera. The optimized calibration parameters are determined corresponding to the minimum total intensity in each case. Several typical kinds of vectorial optical beams are created with and without the obtained calibration parameters, and the full Stokes parameter measurements are carried out to quantitatively analyze the polarization distribution of the generated beams. The comparisons among these results clearly show that the obtained calibration parameters could remarkably improve the accuracy of the polarization modulation of the VOF-Gen, especially for generating elliptically polarized beam with large ellipticity, indicating the significance of the presented close loop in enhancing the performance of the VOF-Gen.

Vector optical field generation based on birefringent phase plate

Vector optical field has recently gained interest in a variety of application fields due to its novel characteristics. Conventional approaches of generating vector optical fields have difficulties in forming highly continuous polarization and suffer from the issue of high energy utilization rates. In order to address these issues, in this study a single optical path was proposed to generate vector optical fields where the birefringent phase plate modulated a linear polarized light into a vector optical field, which was then demodulated to a non-uniform linear polarization distribution of the vector optical field by the polarization demodulation module. Both a theoretical model and numerical simulations of the vector optical field generator were developed, illustrating the relationship between the polarization distribution of the target vector optical field and the depth distribution of the birefringent phase plate. Furthermore, the birefringent phase plate with predefined surface distributions was fabricated by grayscale exposure and ion etching. The generated vector optical field was experimentally characterized, capable of producing continuous polarization with high light energy utilization ratio, consistent with simulations. This new approach may have the potential of being widely used in future studies of generating well-controlled vector optical fields.

Polarization-based control of spin-orbit vector modes of light in biphoton interference

We report the experimental generation of a class of spin-orbit vector modes of light via an asymmetric Mach-Zehnder interferometer, obtained from an input beam prepared in a product state of its spin and orbital degrees of freedom. These modes contain a spatially varying polarization structure which may be controllably propagated about the beam axis by varying the retardance between the vertical and horizontal polarization components of the light. Additionally, their transverse spatial intensity distributions may be continuously manipulated by tuning the input polarization parameters. In the case of an analogous biphoton input, we predict that this device will exhibit biphoton (Hong-Ou-Mandel) interference in conjunction with the aforementioned tunable mode transformations.

Manipulation of dielectric Rayleigh particles using highly focused elliptically polarized vector fields

Generation of vectorial optical fields with arbitrary polarization distribution is of great interest in areas where exotic optical fields are desired. In this work, we experimentally demonstrate the versatile generation of linearly polarized vector fields, elliptically polarized vector fields, and circularly polarized vortex beams through introducing attenuators in a common-path interferometer. By means of Richards-Wolf vectorial diffraction method, the characteristics of the highly focused elliptically polarized vector fields are studied. The optical force and torque on a dielectric Rayleigh particle produced by these tightly focused vector fields are calculated and exploited for the stable trapping of dielectric Rayleigh particles. It is shown that the additional degree of freedom provided by the elliptically polarized vector field allows one to control the spatial structure of polarization, to engineer the focusing field, and to tailor the optical force and torque on a dielectric Rayleigh particle.

Effect of the focal shaping generated from different double-mode cylindrical vector beams

We investigate three-dimensional focus shaping generated from double-mode cylindrical vector beams with the Gaussian and Bessel-Gaussian pupil apodization functions by choosing the suitable polarization states of beams. Further, we compare them with that generated from the Laguerre-Gaussian pupil apodization function in the same situation. We find that the focus shaping generated from the Gaussian beam has the smallest zero intensity spot size. However, the situation of the Bessel-Gaussian beam not only possesses stability, which makes it suitable when applied in optical trapping, but also shows the best uniformity, which indicates its excellent performance in super-resolution fluorescence microscopy.

Devil's lens optical tweezers

We demonstrate an optical tweezers using a laser beam on which is imprinted a focusing phase profile generated by a Devil's staircase fractal structure (Cantor set). We show that a beam shaped in this way is capable of stably trapping a variety of micron- and submicron-sized particles and calibrate the optical trap as a function of the control parameters of the fractal structure, and explain the observed variation as arising from radiation pressure exerted by unfocused parts of the beam in the region of the optical trap. Experimental results are complemented by calculation of the structure of the focus in the regime of high numerical aperture.

Scanning metallic nanosphere microscopy for vectorial profiling of optical focal spots

Recent years have witnessed fast progress in the development of spatially variant states of polarization under high numerical aperture focusing, and intensive exploration of their applications. We report a vectorial, broadband, high contrast and subwavelength resolution method for focal spot profiling. In this experiment, a 100 nm diameter gold nanosphere on a silica aerogel substrate is raster scanned across the focal spots, and the orthogonal polarization components can be obtained simultaneously by measuring the scattering far field in a confocal manner. The metallic-nanosphere-on-aerogel structure ensures negligible distortion to the focal spots, low crosstalk between orthogonal polarization components (1/39 in experiment), and a low level background noise (1/80 of peak intensity in experiment), while high contrast imaging is not limited by the resonance bandwidth.

Three-dimensional analysis of optical forces generated by an active tractor beam using radial polarization

We theoretically study the three-dimensional behavior of nanoparticles in an active optical conveyor. To do this, we solved the Langevin equation when the forces are generated by a focusing system at the near field. Analytical expressions for the optical forces generated by the optical conveyor were obtained by solving the Richards and Wolf vectorial diffraction integrals in an approximated form when a mask of two annular pupils is illuminated by a radially polarized Hermite-Gauss beam. Trajectories, in both the transverse plane and the longitudinal direction, are analyzed showing that the behavior of the optical conveyor can be optimized by conveniently choosing the configuration of the mask of the two annular pupils (inner and outer radius of the two rings) in order to trap and transport all particles at the focal plane.

Optical trapping and manipulation of nanostructures

Optical trapping and manipulation of micrometre-sized particles was first reported in 1970. Since then, it has been successfully implemented in two size ranges: the subnanometre scale, where light-matter mechanical coupling enables cooling of atoms, ions and molecules, and the micrometre scale, where the momentum transfer resulting from light scattering allows manipulation of microscopic objects such as cells. But it has been difficult to apply these techniques to the intermediate - nanoscale - range that includes structures such as quantum dots, nanowires, nanotubes, graphene and two-dimensional crystals, all of crucial importance for nanomaterials-based applications. Recently, however, several new approaches have been developed and demonstrated for trapping plasmonic nanoparticles, semiconductor nanowires and carbon nanostructures. Here we review the state-of-the-art in optical trapping at the nanoscale, with an emphasis on some of the most promising advances, such as controlled manipulation and assembly of individual and multiple nanostructures, force measurement with femtonewton resolution, and biosensors.