Natural shaping of the cylindrically polarized beams

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates how a circularly polarized vortex beam can be split into high-quality radially and azimuthally polarized beams after focusing through a uniaxial crystal, depending on polarization and vortex charge signs.

Contribution

It provides experimental and theoretical evidence for controlled shaping of cylindrically polarized beams using uniaxial crystals, revealing conditions for optimal polarization quality.

Findings

Beam splitting depends on opposite signs of polarization handedness and vortex charge.

Polarization structure quality can reach unity.

Experimental and theoretical agreement confirmed the phenomenon.

Abstract

We have experimentally and theoretically shown that the circularly polarized beam bearing singly charged optical vortex propagating through a uniaxial crystal can be split after focusing into the radially and azimuthally polarized beams in vicinity of the focal area provided that the polarization handedness and the vortex topological charge have opposite signs. Quality of the polarization structure can reach unity.