Generation of arbitrary vector beams with liquid crystal polarization converters and vector-photoaligned q-plates

Authors:
Publisher website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Arbitrary vector beams (VBs) are realized by the designed polarization converters and corresponding vector-photoaligned q-plates. The polarization converter is a specific twisted nematic cell with one substrate homogeneously aligned and the other space-variantly aligned. By combining a polarization-sensitive alignment agent with a dynamic micro-lithography system, various categories of liquid crystal polarization converters are demonstrated. Besides, traditional radially/azimuthally polarized light, high-order and multi-ringed VBs, and a VB array with different orders are generated. The obtained converters are further utilized as polarization masks to implement vector-photoaligning. The technique facilitates both the volume duplication of these converters and the generation of another promising optical element, the q-plate, which is suitable for the generation of VBs for coherent lasers. The combination of proposed polarization converters and correspondingly fabricated q-plates would drastically enhance the capability of polarization control and may bring more possibilities for the design of photonic devices.
Funding Information
  • the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (021314380020)
  • the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (021314380023)
  • National Natural Science Foundation of China (11304151, 61435008, 61490714, 61575093)
  • Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China (20120091120020)

This publication has 42 references indexed in Scilit: