Ordinary polarization singularities in three-dimensional optical fields

2012 ◽  
Vol 37 (12) ◽  
pp. 2223 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isaac Freund
2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (10) ◽  
pp. eaax4769 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan Zhan ◽  
Ricky Gibson ◽  
James Whitehead ◽  
Evan Smith ◽  
Joshua R. Hendrickson ◽  
...  

Controlling the propagation of optical fields in three dimensions using arrays of discrete dielectric scatterers is an active area of research. These arrays can create optical elements with functionalities unrealizable in conventional optics. Here, we present an inverse design method based on the inverse Mie scattering problem for producing three-dimensional optical field patterns. Using this method, we demonstrate a device that focuses 1.55-μm light into a depth-variant discrete helical pattern. The reported device is fabricated using two-photon lithography and has a footprint of 144 μm by 144 μm, the largest of any inverse-designed photonic structure to date. This inverse design method constitutes an important step toward designer free-space optics, where unique optical elements are produced for user-specified functionalities.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoyan Pang ◽  
Weiwei Xiao ◽  
Han Zhang ◽  
Chen Feng ◽  
Xinying Zhao

Abstract In this article we propose a new type of optical vortex, the X-type vortex. This vortex inherits and develops the conventional noncanonical vortex, i.e., it no longer has a constant phase gradient around the center, while the intensity keeps invariant azimuthally. The strongly focusing properties of the Xtype vortex and its effect on the beam shaping in three-dimensional (3D) fields are analyzed. The interesting phenomena, which cannot be seen in canonical vortices, are observed, for instance the `switch effect' which shows that the intensity pattern can switch from one transverse axis to another in the focal plane by controlling the phase gradient parameter. It is shown that by adjusting the phase gradient of this vortex, the focal field can have marvelous patterns, from the doughnut shape to the shapes with different lobes, and the beam along propagation direction will form a twisting shape in 3D space with controllable rotation direction and location. The physical mechanisms underlying the rule of the beam shaping are also discussed, which generally say that the phase gradient of the X-type vortex, the orbital angular momentum, the polarization and the `nongeneric' characteristic contribute differently in shaping fields. This new type of vortex may supply a new freedom for tailoring 3D optical fields, and our work will pave a way for exploration of new vortices and their applications.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hugo Larocque ◽  
Alessio D’Errico ◽  
Manuel F. Ferrer-Garcia ◽  
Avishy Carmi ◽  
Eliahu Cohen ◽  
...  

Abstract Modern beam shaping techniques have enabled the generation of optical fields displaying a wealth of structural features, which include three-dimensional topologies such as Möbius, ribbon strips and knots. However, unlike simpler types of structured light, the topological properties of these optical fields have hitherto remained more of a fundamental curiosity as opposed to a feature that can be applied in modern technologies. Due to their robustness against external perturbations, topological invariants in physical systems are increasingly being considered as a means to encode information. Hence, structured light with topological properties could potentially be used for such purposes. Here, we introduce the experimental realization of structures known as framed knots within optical polarization fields. We further develop a protocol in which the topological properties of framed knots are used in conjunction with prime factorization to encode information.


Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (14) ◽  
pp. 4195
Author(s):  
Francesco Ferdinando Summa ◽  
Guglielmo Monaco ◽  
Riccardo Zanasi ◽  
Stefano Pelloni ◽  
Paolo Lazzeretti

The electric dipole–magnetic dipole polarizability tensor κ′, introduced to interpret the optical activity of chiral molecules, has been expressed in terms of a series of density functions kαβ′, which can be integrated all over the three-dimensional space to evaluate components καβ′ and trace καα′. A computational approach to kαβ′, based on frequency-dependent electronic current densities induced by monochromatic light shining on a probe molecule, has been developed. The dependence of kαβ′ on the origin of the coordinate system has been investigated in connection with the corresponding change of καβ′. It is shown that only the trace kαα′ of the density function defined via dynamic current density evaluated using the continuous translation of the origin of the coordinate system is invariant of the origin. Accordingly, this function is recommended as a tool that is quite useful for determining the molecular domains that determine optical activity to a major extent. A series of computations on the hydrogen peroxide molecule, for a number of different HO–OH dihedral angles, is shown to provide a pictorial documentation of the proposed method.


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