Arbitrary three-dimensional polarization control based on cylindrical vector beams and binary phase coding

Abstract

To obtain an arbitrary polarization in three dimensions is of significant interest for many applications. Here, we demonstrate a configuration to achieve it. After phase coding by binary phase plates, two cylindrical polarized beams are superposed and focused by a high-numerical aperture lens to obtain transversally and radially polarized components in the focus vicinity. By adjusting their intensity and phase difference, the desired three-dimensional polarization can be achieved. The proportion of the desired polarization is extremely high and the focus spot is smaller than the diffraction-limited spot size.

Keywords:

• arbitrary three-dimensional polarization
• cylindrical vector beam
• binary phase coding