Spatial correlation properties and phase singularity annihilation of Gaussian Schell-model beams in the focal region

By using the generalized Debye diffraction integral, this paper studies the spatial correlation properties and phase singularity annihilation of apertured Gaussian Schell-model （GSM） beams in the focal region. It is shown that the width of the spectral degree of coherence can be larger, less than or equal to the corresponding width of spectral density, which depends not only on the scalar coherence length of the beams, but also on the truncation parameter. With a gradual increase of the truncation parameter, a pair of phase singularities of the spectral degree of coherence in the focal plane approaches each other, resulting in subwavelength structures. Finally, the annihilation of pairs of phase singularities takes place at a certain value of the truncation parameter. With increasing scalar coherence length, the annihilation occurs at the larger truncation parameter. However, the creation process of phase singularities outside the focal plane is not found for GSM beams.

Stokes parameters of optical singularities of random electromagnetic beams

In this paper, the relation between the spectral degree of coherence and degree of polarization of random electromagnetic beams is derived by the Stokes parameters. And the concept of polarization singularity is extended from spatially fully coherent beams to partially coherent electromagnetic beams. Theoretical analysis shows that correlation vortices are linearly polarized singularities. The results are illustrated by numerical examples.

Coherence vortices of partially coherent beams in the far field

Based on the propagation law of cross-spectral density function, studied in this paper are the coherence vortices of partially coherent, quasi-monochromatic singular beams with Gaussian envelope and Schell-model correlator in the far field, where our main attention is paid to the evolution of far-field coherence vortices into intensity vortices of fully coherent beams. The results show that, although there are usually no zeros of intensity in partially coherent beams with Gaussian envelope and Schell-model correlator~ zeros of spectral degree of coherence exist. The coherence vortices of spectral degree of coherence depend on the relative coherence length, mode index and positions of pairs of points. If a point and mode index are kept fixed, the position of coherence vortices changes with the increase of the relative coherence length. For the low coherent case there is a circular phase dislocation. In the coherent limit coherence vortices become intensity vortices of fully coherent Laguerre-Gaussian beams.

Evolution of emergent C-points,L-lines,and C-lines in free space

Polarization singularities,which emerge from the incoherent superposition of two vector electric fields with the same frequency,and their evolution in free space are studied analytically and illustrated by numerical examples.It is shown that there exist C-points,L-lines,in particular,C-lines in incoherently superimposed two-dimensional wavefields.Usually,the C-lines are unstable and disappear during the free-space propagation.The motion,pair creation-annihilation process of the emergent C-points,as well as the distortion of the L-lines may take place,and the degree of polarization of the emergent C-points varies upon propagation and may be less than 1.

Fiber-based mode converter for generating optical vortex beams

In this work, an all-fiber-based mode converter for generating orbital angular momentum （OAM） beams is proposed and numerically investigated. Its structure is constructed by cascading a mode selective coupler （MSC） and an inner elliptical cladding fiber （IECF）. OAM modes refer to a combination of two orthogonal LPlm modes with a phase difference of ±π/2. By adjusting the parameters and controlling the splicing angle of MSC and IECF appropriately, higher-order OAM modes with topological charges of l = ±1, ±2, ±3 can be obtained with the injection of the fundamental mode LP01, resulting in a mode-conversion efficiency of almost 100%. This achievement may pave the way towards the realization of a compact, all-fiber, and high-efficiency device for increasing the transmission capacity and spectral efficiency in optical communication systems with OAM mode multiplexing.

Spectral anomalies of diffracted pulsed Hermite-Gaussian beams in dispersive media

This paper derives and uses the recurrence expressions for the power spectra of diffracted pulsed Hermite-Gaussian （HG） beams in dispersive media to study the spectral anomalies of pulsed HG beams in the far field. Numerical results are given to illustrate the dependence of spectral switches on the pulse parameters, truncation parameter and dispersive property of the medium. The potential application of spectral anomalies of ultrashort pulsed beams in information encoding and transmission is discussed.

Production of intense attosecond vector beam pulse trains based on harmonics

We provide the first report on the harmonics generated by an intense femtosecond vector beam that ~s normally mcment on a solid target. By using 2D particle-in-cell （PIC） codes, we observe the third and the fifth harmonic signals with the same vector structure as the driving beam, and obtain an attosecond vector beam pulse train. We also show that the conversion efficiencies of the third and the fifth harmonics reach their maxima for a plasma density of four times the critical density due to the plasma resonating with the driving force. This method provides a new means of generating intense extreme ultraviolet （XUV） vector beams via ultra-intense laser-driven harmonics.

Bifurcation Analysis and Bounded Optical Soliton Solutions of the Biswas-Arshed Model

We investigate the bounded travelling wave solutions of the Biswas-Arshed model(BAM)including the low group velocity dispersion and excluding the self-phase modulation.We integrate the nonlinear structure of the model to obtain bounded optical solitons which pass through the optical fibers in the non-Kerr media.The bifurcation technique of the dynamical system is used to achieve the parameter bifurcation sets and split the parameter space into various areaswhich correspond to different phase portraits.All bounded optical solitons and bounded periodic wave solutions are identified and derived conforming to each region of these phase portraits.We also apply the extended sinh-Gordon equation expansion and the generalized Kudryashov integral schemes to obtain additional bounded optical soliton solutions of the BAM nonlinearity.We present more bounded optical shock waves,the bright-dark solitary wave,and optical rogue waves for the structure model via these schemes in different aspects.

Strong-field photoionization of intense laser fields by controlling optical singularities

The spatial features of a light field, such as in the form of the optical singularities, provide a new degree of freedom for the application of light fields in different areas of science and technology. However, although the exploration of structured light is growing rapidly, the investigation of strong-field photoionization using such light fields is noticeably lagging behind. Here, we present an experimental study that reveals the signatures of intense, structured light fields with controlled optical singularities in strong-field photoionization. The different types of optical singularities can be identified through photoionization observables,i.e., photoelectron momentum distributions(PMDs). By concurrently shifting the locations of the phase and polarization singularities, the focal electric field features can be designated, and subsequently, the photoionization appearances can be manipulated. In this process, the behaviors of the different intense optical singularities are clearly visualized by the PMDs. This work will advance both the strong-field science and singularity optics.

Compound plasmonic vortex generation based on spiral nanoslits

In view of wide applications of structured light fields and plasmonic vortices,we propose the concept of compound plasmonic vortex and design several structured plasmonic vortex generators.This kind of structured plasmonic vortex generators consists of multiple spiral nanoslits and they can generate two or more concentric plasmonic vortices.Different from Laguerre-Gaussian beam,the topological charge of the plasmonic vortex in different region is different.Theoretical analysis lays the basis for the design of radially structured plasmonic vortex generators and numerical simulations for several examples confirm the effectiveness of the design principle.The discussions about the interference of vortex fields definite the generation condition for the structured vortex.This work provides a design methodology for generating new vortices using spiral nanoslits and the advanced radially structured plasmonic vortices is helpful for broadening the applications of vortex fields.

Tunable azimuthally non-uniform orbital angular momentum carried by vector optical fields

Orbital angular momentum(OAM), as a fundamental parameter of a photon, has attracted great attention in recent years. Although various properties and applications have been developed by modulating the OAM of photons, there is rare research about the non-uniform OAM. We propose and generate a new kind of continuously tunable azimuthally non-uniform OAM for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, which is carried by a hybridly polarized vector optical field with a cylindrically symmetric intensity profile and a complex polarization singularity. We also present the perfect vector optical field carrying non-uniform OAM with a fixed radius independent of topological charges, which can propagate steadily without radial separation, solving the problem of the unsteady propagation due to the broadened OAM spectrum of the non-uniform OAM. This new kind of tunable non-uniform OAM with a cylindrical symmetric intensity profile, complex polarization singularity, and propagation stability enriches the family of OAMs and can be widely used in many regions such as optical manipulation, quantum optics, and optical communications.