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Updated: Jun 19, 2026

The Generation of Higher-order Laguerre-Gauss Optical Beams for High-precision Interferometry
Published on: August 12, 2013
Singular optical manipulation of birefringent elastic media using nonsingular beams
1Centre de Physique Moléculaire Optique et Hertzienne, Université Bordeaux 1, CNRS, 33405 Talence Cedex, France. e.brasselet@cpmoh.u-bordeaux1.fr
Abstract:
It is shown that nonsingular light beams can generate singular birefringent patterns in homogeneous birefringent elastic media. These orientational defects of the optical-axis spatial distribution originate from an optical torque driven by a nonzero longitudinal field component. Singular radial and spin-dependent azimuthal light-induced elastic distortion patterns are described and experimentally observed in a uniform liquid-crystal film in the course of a focused circularly polarized Gaussian beam.
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