Modifying Bessel beam profiles with a spherulite-based radial polarizer.

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Materials Science

Background:

• Bessel beams are non-diffracting beams with unique intensity profiles.
• Radial polarizers control light polarization in a radial or azimuthal manner.
• Controlling beam characteristics is crucial for advanced optical applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To fabricate a novel radial polarizer using a thickness-constrained spherulite.
• To investigate the effect of this radial polarizer on a zero-order Bessel beam.
• To demonstrate the ability to alter and rotate the beam's intensity profile.

Main Methods:

• A thickness-constrained spherulite was grown from an oleoresin polymer.
• The fabricated radial polarizer was inserted between crossed linear polarizers.
• The device's effect on a zero-order Bessel beam's intensity profile was analyzed.
• Beam rotation was achieved by reorienting the crossed polarizers.

Main Results:

• The radial polarizer successfully altered the intensity profile of the incident Bessel beam.
• The output beam exhibited a pronounced intensity singularity at the center.
• Experimental results showed a transformation of the Bessel beam order from l=0 to l=2.
• Simple reorientation of the polarizers allowed for beam rotation.

Conclusions:

• The developed radial polarizer effectively modifies Bessel beam characteristics.
• This device offers a method for creating radially polarized beams with tunable singularities.
• The findings have potential applications in optical manipulation and beam shaping.