Common-path generation of stable cylindrical perfect vector vortex beams with arbitrary order

TL;DR

This paper presents a simple, stable, and efficient method for generating arbitrary-order cylindrical vector vortex beams using superposition of orthogonal vortex beams and phase control on a common-path interferometer.

Contribution

It introduces a novel superposition technique with phase-sensitive SLM control for stable, arbitrary-order cylindrical vector vortex beam generation with uniform polarization.

Findings

Successfully generated stable radially and azimuthally polarized vortex beams.

Achieved control over the number and orientation of petal-shaped interference patterns.

Demonstrated the method's effectiveness for arbitrary order Poincaré beams.

Abstract

A Highly flexible and efficient method of generating stable radially and Azimuthally polarized perfect optical vortex beams and all higher-order cylindrical vector vortex beams are proposed and demonstrated. The method is the most convenient implementation of the superposition of two orthogonally circularly polarized optical vortex beams of arbitrary integer topological charges. By simply controlling the relative amplitude and phase between vertical and horizontal polarization component of an input perfect vortex beam on a phase-sensitive Spatial Light Modulator (SLM) and using a common-path interferometry, all arbitrary order Poincar\'e beams are prepared. Calibration curve of relative phase vs grey-scale of the phase function on the SLM is drawn to facilitate the determination of required phase-offset using pre-calculated grey-scale colour-map. Generated beams states of polarization are uniformly distributed throughout the beam cross-section. The interference pattern of the two-beam in a projected linear polarization state also gives the cylindrically symmetric petal beams with control over the number and orientation of petals.