Authors
Yijie Shen, Xilin Yang, Darryl Naidoo, Xing Fu, Andrew Forbes
Publication date
2020/7/20
Journal
Optica
Volume
7
Issue
7
Pages
820-831
Publisher
Optica Publishing Group
Description
Vector vortex beams are conventionally created as the superposition of orbital angular momentum (OAM) modes with orthogonal polarizations, limiting the available degrees of freedom (DoFs) to 2, while their creation by complex optical devices such as metasurfaces, liquid crystals, and interferometers has hindered their versatility. Here we demonstrate a new class of vector vortex beam constructed from four DoFs as multiple ray-like trajectories with wave-like properties, which we create by operating a simple anisotropic microchip laser in a frequency-degenerate state. Our new structure is obtained by the superposition of two stable periodic ray trajectories, simultaneously fulfilling a completed oscillation in the cavity. By a simple external modulation, we can transform our ray trajectories into vortex beams with large OAM, multiple singularities, as well as exotic helical star-shaped patterns. Our experimental results …
Total citations
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