Nondiffracting Bessel beams with polarization state that varies with propagation distance

Optical skyrmions in the Bessel profile

Optical skyrmions formed in terms of polarization are topological quasi-particles, and they have garnered much interest in the optical community owing to their unique inhomogeneous polarization structure and simplicity in their experimental realization. These structures belong to the Poincaré beams satisfying the stable topology. We theoretically investigated the non-diffracting and self-healing Poincaré beams based on the superposition of two orthogonal Bessel modes by the longitudinal mode matching technique. These Poincaré beams are topologically protected, and we suggest them as optical skyrmions in the corresponding Stokes vector fields. These optical skyrmions are quasi-skyrmions, and their range of propagation depends on the range of superposed Bessel modes. We have shown longitudinal mode matching of superposed Bessel beams is a necessary condition for the generation of propagation-invariant and non-diffracting skyrmions. The proposed longitudinal mode matching technique facilitates the generation of skyrmions with tunable position and range without any on-axis intensity modulations along the propagation axis. A suitable experimental configuration is suggested to realize variable order skyrmions in Bessel modes. The suggested experimental configuration can produce optical skyrmions even in ultra-short laser pulses with high mode conversion efficacy. This work can provide a new direction for the generation of skyrmions with completely new textures and features with reference to existing skyrmions originating from Laguerre-Gaussian modes.

Helico-conical vector beams

In this work, we propose and demonstrate experimentally a new family of vector beams, the helico-conical vector beams (HCVBs), whose spatial degree of freedom is encoded in the helico-conical optical beams. We use Stokes polarimetry to study their properties and find that upon propagation their transverse polarization distribution evolves from nonhomogeneous to quasihomogeneous, such that even though their global degree of nonseparability remains constant, locally it decreases to a minimum value as z → ∞. We corroborated this quantitatively using the Hellinger distance, a novel metric for vectorness that applies to spatially disjoint vector modes. To the best of our knowledge, HCVBs are the second family of vector beams featuring this behavior, paving the way for applications in optical tweezing or information encryption.

Simple algorithm for the design of accelerating Bessel-like beams with adjustable features along their propagation

We present an extremely simple method for designing self-accelerating non-diffracting beams having arbitrary trajectories while their intensity, width and orbital angular momentum are modulated in a prescribed way along their propagation. Different beams constructed with this method are demonstrated experimentally in the paraxial regime and numerically in the non-paraxial regime.

Tunable longitudinal spin-orbit separation of complex vector modes

Complex vector modes are opening burgeoning opportunities for a wide variety of applications and therefore the flexible manipulation of their various properties has become a topic of late. As such, in this Letter, we demonstrate a longitudinal spin-orbit separation of complex vector modes propagating in free space. To achieve this, we employed the recently demonstrated circular Airy Gaussian vortex vector (CAGVV) modes, which feature a self-focusing property. More precisely, by properly manipulating the intrinsic parameters of CAGVV modes, the strong coupling between the two constituting orthogonal components can be engineered to undergo a spin-orbit separation along the propagation direction. In other words, while one polarization component focuses at one plane, the other focuses at a different plane. Such spin-orbit separation, which we demonstrated by numerical simulations and corroborated experimentally, can be adjusted on-demand by simply changing the initial parameters of the CAGVV mode. Our findings will be of great relevance in applications such as optical tweezers, to manipulate micro- or nano-particles at two different parallel planes.

Structuring total angular momentum of light along the propagation direction with polarization-controlled meta-optics

Recent advances in wavefront shaping have enabled complex classes of Structured Light which carry spin and orbital angular momentum, offering new tools for light-matter interaction, communications, and imaging. Controlling both components of angular momentum along the propagation direction can potentially extend such applications to 3D. However, beams of this kind have previously been realized using bench-top setups, requiring multiple interaction with light of a fixed input polarization, thus impeding their widespread applications. Here, we introduce two classes of metasurfaces that lift these constraints, namely: i) polarization-switchable plates that couple any pair of orthogonal polarizations to two vortices in which the magnitude and/or sense of vorticity vary locally with propagation, and ii) versatile plates that can structure both components of angular momentum, spin and orbital, independently, along the optical path while operating on incident light of any polarization. Compact and integrated devices of this type can advance light-matter interaction and imaging and may enable applications that are not accessible via other wavefront shaping tools.

Creating complex forms of structured light typically requires bulky optics and multiple interactions with incident light. Here the authors demonstrate versatile control over light’s polarization and orbital angular momentum along the propagation direction with a single metasurface.

Focal shift of an axisymmetric Bessel-Gaussian beam under Airy mixing modulation

In this paper, the focusing characteristics of Bessel-Gaussian beams are studied by means of vector diffraction theory. The vector field distribution of the axisymmetric Bessel-Gaussian beam of a cylindrical vector is derived by calculating and adding Airy mixing modulation to the Bessel-Gaussian beam. It is found that with a series of regular focusing change characteristics, the focusing presents strong stability of the optical chain structure, and the number of optical chain links can be adjusted. At the same time, it is pointed out that in the case of a tightly focused helically polarized beam, the polarization in the focal region is not uniform, but there was a similar horizontal shift in focus. Finally, the relevant practical application scenarios are briefly introduced. The correlation focus shift conversion can be widely used in electronic acceleration, optical sampling and operation, and biological imaging.

Bessel-like beams with controllable rotating local linear polarization during propagation

Bessel-like beams with controllable rotation of local linear polarization upon propagation are generated, which in fact achieve the evolution of polarization states along the equator of the Poincaré sphere during propagation. Based on the amplitude-phase joint modulation method, the rotation direction and rate of polarizations of the Bessel-like beam can be controlled easily by adjusting the radial indices and intensity ratio of two superposed beams. A rotation angle of $\sim$∼800 deg has been achieved after a propagation distance of 120 mm, corresponding to a rotation rate of $\sim$∼6.7 deg/mm, which is about three times higher than in previous works.

Generation of optical Y-junction Bessel beams

A method is proposed to split the central spot of zero-order Bessel beams into two parallel spots along the propagation axis of the beam. A magnetic-liquid deformable mirror is used to provide the required phase profile combining an axicon and a phase step. The obtained Y-junction Bessel beam has been characterized; the 80 µm central spot of the Bessel beam is split into two spots of the same size that have been propagated over a length exceeding 15 cm. The observations are consistent with the predictions of a numerical model. Potential applications of Y-junction Bessel beams are discussed.

Spatial variation of vector vortex beams with plasmonic metasurfaces

The spatial variation of vector vortex beams with arbitrary polarization states and orbital angular momentum (OAM) values along the beam propagation is demonstrated by using plasmonic metasurfaces with the initial geometric phase profiles determined from the caustic theory. The vector vortex beam is produced by the superposition of deflected right- and left-handed circularly polarized component vortices with different helical phase charges, which are simultaneously generated off-axially by the single metasurface. Besides, the detailed evolution processes of intensity profile, polarization distribution and OAM value along the beam propagation distance is analyzed. The demonstrated arbitrary space-variant vector vortex beam will pave the way to many promising applications related to spin-to-orbital angular momentum conversion, spin-orbit hybrid entanglement, particle manipulation and transportation, and optical communication.

Beyond the display: phase-only liquid crystal on Silicon devices and their applications in photonics [Invited]

Existing for almost four decades, liquid crystal on Silicon (LCOS) technology is rapidly growing into photonic applications. We review the basics of the technology, from the wafer to the driving solutions, the progress over the last decade and the future outlook. Furthermore we review the most exciting industrial and scientific applications of the LCOS technology.

Polarization mediated coherent and incoherent Bessel-moiré generation

We demonstrate an efficient approach for the investigation of polarization states of a Bessel beam along the propagation direction. Furthermore, we propose a method to generate Bessel-moiré using a birefringent lens and Wollaston prism. The analysis showed that an experimentally generated incoherent moiré pattern is analogous to a theoretically simulated pattern. Moreover, we verified that inhomogeneous polarization states of a Bessel beam are still present in Bessel-moiré along its propagation direction. Our observation of Bessel-moiré due to mechanical vibration depicts the fact that incoherent moiré is stable, whereas the coherent moiré is sensitive to external vibration only along its propagation direction.

Broadband Variable Meta-Axicons Based on Nano-Aperture Arrays in a Metallic Film

Metasurfaces are two-dimensional metamaterials composed of a carefully designed series of subwavelength meta-atom (antenna or aperture) arrays. These surfaces can manipulate the phase, amplitude and polarization of output light by changing the shapes and orientations of the meta-atoms on a subwavelength scale. Using these properties, we experimentally demonstrate variable meta-axicons composed of rectangular nano-apertures arranged in several concentric rings that can focus left circularly polarized (LCP) light into a real Bessel beam and defocus right circular polarized (RCP) light to form a virtual beam. A desired phase discontinuity in cross-polarized transmitted light is introduced along the interface by controlling the orientations of the nano-apertures. In addition, the meta-axicons can generate Bessel beams of arbitrary orders by suitable design of the phase profile along the surface. The meta-axicons demonstrate broadband optical properties that can switch the wavelength of the incident light from 690 nm to 1050 nm. These variable meta-axicons open a path towards the development of new applications using integrated beam shaping devices.

Propagation of on-axis and off-axis Bessel beams in a gradient-index medium

Bessel beams have been increasingly used for their advantages of non-diffraction and long focal depth. In this paper, we studied the propagation of on-axis and off-axis Bessel beams in a gradient-index medium. By expressing a Bessel beam in integral form, the analytical expression of an on-axis, decentered, and tilted Bessel beam through a paraxial optical system is derived with the ABCD matrix method and Collins diffraction integral formula. Main lobe size and trajectory of the zeroth- and second-order Bessel beam are obtained, demonstrating that the Bessel beam is focused by the gradient-index medium and its main lobe trajectory is exactly the same as the corresponding geometrical ray for both the decentered and tilted Bessel beam. Effects of beam apodization are finally studied by the Fourier beam propagation method, showing that the side lobes of the Bessel beam vanish when the beam is focused inside the medium as only part of the beam enters the lens.

Generation and self-healing of vector Bessel-Gauss beams with variant state of polarizations upon propagation

We propose a generalized model for the creation of vector Bessel-Gauss (BG) beams having state of polarization (SoP) varying along the propagation direction. By engineering longitudinally varying Pancharatnam-Berry (PB) phases of two constituent components with orthogonal polarizations, we create zeroth- and higher-order vector BG beams having (i) uniform polarizations in the transverse plane that change along z following either the equator or meridian of the Poincaré sphere and (ii) inhomogeneous polarizations in the transverse plane that rotate during propagation along z. Moreover, we evaluate the self-healing capability of these vector BG beams after two disparate obstacles. The self-healing capability of spatial SoP information may enrich the application of BG beams in light-matter interaction, polarization metrology and microscopy.

Aberration compensation for optical trapping of cells within living mice

Optical tweezers have been used to trap and manipulate microparticles within living animals. When the optical trap is constructed with an oil-immersion objective, it suffers from spherical aberration. There have been many investigations on the influence of spherical aberration when the particles are trapped in a water medium. However, the dependence of optical force on trapping depth is still ambiguous when the trapped particles are immersed in a high refractive index medium (such as biological tissue, refractive index solution) in experiments. In this paper, the microparticles are immersed in an aqueous solution of glycerol to mimic the cells within biological tissue. As the trapping laser is focused into the specimen, spherical aberration is introduced, degrading the optical trapping performance. It is similar to trapping in water; altering the effective tube length can also compensate for the spherical aberration of the optical trap in a high refractive index medium. Finally, the cells in living mice are trapped by the optical tweezers with the help of spherical aberration compensation.

Quasi-Bessel beams with longitudinally varying polarization state generated by employing spectrum engineering

We report on the generation and control of quasi-Bessel beams having not only a uniform axial intensity but also a longitudinally varying polarization state. Based on the optimization routine of the spatial spectrum of the so-called Durnin ring, we generate quasi-Bessel beams possessing longitudinally variant axial intensity with linear or sinusoidal envelopes. By utilizing a Sagnac interferometer, we create and coaxially composite two orthogonally polarized beams with complementary axial intensities to form quasi-Bessel beams with uniform axial intensity but a longitudinally varying polarization state. Furthermore, we demonstrate the possibility and flexibility of manipulating the trajectory, speed, and period of polarization state transformation upon propagation. Our results may enable Bessel beams to be used in other applications including optical communications, material processing, and polarimetry.

Optical rotation of a uniformly, linearly polarized Bessel-like beam in free space

We report on the observation of a light beam in air whose polarization state is uniform and linear at the transverse region where the intensity is high and rotates uniformly with propagation distance. The beam is obtained by interference of two circularly polarized Bessel beams of opposite helicities and very similar, but not equal, cone angles. The measured rotation rate is in agreement with that expected from theory.

Bessel beams with spatial oscillating polarization

Bessel beams are widely used in optical metrology mainly because of their large Rayleigh range (focal length). Radial/azimuthal polarization of such beams is of interest in the fields of material processing, plasma absorption or communication. In this paper an experimental set-up is presented, which generates a Bessel-type vector beam with a spatial polarization, oscillating along the optical axis, when propagating in free space. A first holographic axicon (HA) HA1 produces a normal, linearly polarized Bessel beam, which by a second HA2 is converted into the spatial oscillating polarized beam. The theory is briefly discussed, the set-up and the experimental results are presented in detail.

Nondiffracting vector beams where the charge and the polarization state vary with propagation distance

We generate nondiffracting vector beams where the charge and the polarization state vary with the propagation distance. We use reflective geometry where a parallel-aligned spatial light modulator is used to spatially modulate two orthogonal linear polarizations. We encode spiral phases with equal charge but with opposite signs onto the two polarization directions to encode a vector beam and add two axicon phases. Both the charge and the phase shift between the two axicons can be varied along the focus line. We provide experimental results that demonstrate both features.

Creation of polarization gradients from superposition of counter propagating vector LG beams

We present a detailed theoretical analysis of the formation of standing waves using cylindrically polarized vector Laguerre-Gaussian (LG) beams. It is shown that complex interplay between the radial and azimuthal polarization state can be used to realize different kinds of polarization gradients with cylindrically symmetric polarization distribution. Expressions for four different cases are presented and local dynamics of spatial polarization distribution is studied. We show cylindrically symmetric Sisyphus and corkscrew type polarization gradients can be obtained from vector LG beams. The optical landscape presented here with spatially periodic polarization patterns may find important applications in the field of atom optics, atom interferometry, atom lithography, and optical trapping.