Evolution of polarization singularities accompanied by avoided crossing in plasmonic system

The evolution of polarization singularities supported in a one-dimensional periodic plasmonic system is studied.The lateral inversion symmetry of the system,which breaks the in-plane inversion symmetry and up-down mirror symmetry simultaneously,yields abundant polarization states.A complete evolution process with geometry for the polarization states is traced.In the evolution,circularly polarized points(C points)can stem from 3 different processes.In addition to the previously reported processes occurring in an isolated band,a new type of C point appearing in two bands simultaneously due to the avoided band crossing,is observed.Unlike the dielectric system with a similar structure which only supports at-Γbound states in the continuum(BICs),accidental BICs off theΓpoint are realized in this plasmonic system.This work provides a new scheme of polarization manipulation for the plasmonic systems.

Momentum-space polarization fields in two-dimensional photonic-crystal slabs:Physics and applications

In addition to non-radiative guided modes, two-dimensional photonic-crystal slabs support guided resonant ones which can radiate into free space. From the polarization states of these guided resonances, a polarization field on a photonic band can be constructed in momentum space. Momentum-space polarization fields display complicated configurations and patterns with different types of polarization singularities inside, shedding new light on the manipulations of light flows.In this review, we summarize the recent research progress on momentum-space polarization fields and singularities in two-dimensional photonic-crystal slabs, focusing on their unique optical properties and potential applications as well.

Polarization singularities in near-field of Gaussian vortex beam diffracted by a circular aperture

Polarization singularities in the near-field of Gaussian vortex beams diffracted by a circular aperture are studied by a rigorous electromagnetic theory. It is shown that there exist C-points and L-lines, which depend on off-axis displacement parameters along the x and y directions, waist width, wavelength, and topological charge of the diffracted Gaussian vortex beam, as well as on propagation distance. The results are illustrated by numerical calculations.

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.

Error Inhomogeneity in the Computation of Spherical Mean Displacement

The traditional method for computing the mean displacement in latitude-longitude coordinates is a spherical meridional-zonal resultant displacement method （MRDM）, which regards the displacement as the resultant vector of the meridional and zonal displacement components. However, there are inhomogeneity and singularity in the computation error of the MRDM, especially at high latitudes. Using the NCEP/NCAR long-term monthly mean wind and idealized wind fields, the inhomogeneity in the MRDM was accessed by using a great circle displacement computing method （GCDM） for non-iterative cases. The MRDM and GCDM were also compared for iteration cases by taking the trajectories from a three-time level reference method as the real trajectories. In the horizontal direction, the GCDM assumes that an air particle moves along its locating great circle and that the magnitude of the displacement equals the arc length of the great circle. The inhomogeneity of the MRDM is evaluated in terms of the horizontal dis- tance error from the products of wind speed, lapse time, and angle difference from the GCDM displacement orient. The non-iterative results show that the mean horizontal displacement computed through the MRDM has both compu- tational and analytical errors. The displacement error of the MRDM depends on the wind speed, wind direction, and the departure latitude of the air particle. It increases with the wind speed and the departure latitude. The displacement magnitude error has a four-wave pattern and the displacement direction error has a two-wave feature in the definition range of the wind direction. The iterative result shows that the displacement magnitude error and angle error of the MRDM and GCDM with respect to the reference method increase with the lapse time and have similar distribution patterns. The mean magnitude error and the angle error of the MRDM are nearly twice as large as those of the GCDM.