Generation of arbitrary radially polarized array beams by modulating the correlation structure

TL;DR

This paper presents a novel method for generating arbitrary radially polarized array beams by modulating the correlation structure of light, enabling precise control over beam shape and polarization for advanced optical applications.

Contribution

The study introduces a new approach to manipulate light's amplitude and polarization through correlation structure modulation, including the design of tunable and arbitrary RPA beams.

Findings

Successfully generated RPA beams with various symmetries.

Controlled beamlet shape and polarization via initial correlation structure.

Demonstrated applications in particle manipulation and biological cell handling.

Abstract

We demonstrate a convenient approach for simultaneously manipulating the amplitude and polarization of light beams by means of the modulation of the correlation structure. As an illustration, we constructed a periodic correlation structure that can generate an arbitrary radially polarized array (RPA) beam of a radial or rectangular symmetry array in the focal plane from a radially polarized (RP) beam. The physical realizability conditions for such source and the far-field beam condition are derived. It is illustrated that the beamlet shape and the state of polarization (SOP) can be effectively controlled by the initial correlation structure and the coherence width. Furthermore, by designing the source correlation structure, a tunable OK-shaped RPA beam and an optical cage are demonstrated, which can find widespread applications in non-destructive manipulation of particles and living biological cells. The arbitrariness in the design of correlation structure prompted us to find more convenient approaches for controlling the statistics of light beams in terms of amplitude and polarization.