Tailoring multi-singularity structure induced by a focused radially polarized beam.

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Structured Light Fields
• Singularity Optics

Background:

• Generating structured optical fields with precise control over intensity and polarization is crucial for advanced optical applications.
• Existing methods for engineering phase and polarization often involve complex setups like spatial light modulators.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate a convenient and flexible method for creating structured optical fields with controllable 3D intensity and multiple polarization singularities.
• To generate novel optical structures, including V-point and C-point lattices, and optical needle arrays.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a radially polarized (RP) beam combined with a designed phase mask and a high numerical aperture lens.
• Leveraged the tight focusing properties of RP beams and the interference of polarized plane waves.

Main Results:

• Successfully generated lattice-like optical structures with multiple singularities in the transverse plane at the focal plane.
• Demonstrated the formation of an optical needle array along the propagation axis with steerable energy flow.
• Achieved convenient and flexible generation of V-point and C-point lattices, outperforming previous methods.

Conclusions:

• The presented method offers a practical approach to generating complex structured optical fields with unique polarization properties.
• The generated optical needle arrays with controllable energy flow have significant potential for applications in particle manipulation, advanced microscopy, and nonlinear optics.