A fast-Fourier-transform method of topography and interferometry is proposed. By computer processing of a noncontour type of fringe pattern, automatic discrimination is achieved between elevation and depression of the object or wave-front form, which has not been possible by the fringe-contour-generation techniques. The method has advantages over moire topography and conventional fringe-contour interferometry in both accuracy and sensitivity. Unlike fringe-scanning techniques, the method is easy to apply because it uses no moving components.

Fourier-transform method of fringe-pattern analysis for computer-based topography and interferometry

An overview of the recent developments in the field of cylindrical vector beams is
provided. As one class of spatially variant polarization, cylindrical vector beams
are the axially symmetric beam solution to the full vector electromagnetic wave
equation. These beams can be generated via different active and passive methods.
Techniques for manipulating these beams while maintaining the polarization symmetry
have also been developed. Their special polarization symmetry gives rise to unique
high-numerical-aperture focusing properties that find important applications in
nanoscale optical imaging and manipulation. The prospects for cylindrical vector
beams and their applications in other fields are also briefly discussed.

Cylindrical vector beams: from mathematical concepts to applications

Metasurfaces are planar structures that locally modify the polarization, phase and amplitude of light in reflection or transmission, thus enabling lithographically patterned flat optical components with functionalities controlled by design. Transmissive metasurfaces are especially important, as most optical systems used in practice operate in transmission. Several types of transmissive metasurface have been realized, but with either low transmission efficiencies or limited control over polarization and phase. Here, we show a metasurface platform based on high-contrast dielectric elliptical nanoposts that provides complete control of polarization and phase with subwavelength spatial resolution and an experimentally measured efficiency ranging from 72% to 97%, depending on the exact design. Such complete control enables the realization of most free-space transmissive optical elements such as lenses, phase plates, wave plates, polarizers, beamsplitters, as well as polarization-switchable phase holograms and arbitrary vector beam generators using the same metamaterial platform.

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Dielectric metasurfaces for complete control of phase and polarization with subwavelength spatial resolution and high transmission

The fact that light carries both linear and angular momentum is well-known to physicists. One application of the linear momentum of light is for optical tweezers, in which the refraction of a laser beam through a particle provides a reaction force that draws the particle towards the centre of the beam. The angular momentum of light can also be transfered to particles, causing them to spin. In fact, the angular momentum of light has two components that act through different mechanisms on various types of particle. This Review covers the creation of such beams and how their unusual intensity, polarization and phase structure has been put to use in the field of optical manipulation.

Tweezers with a twist

Orbital angular momentum (OAM), which describes the “phase twist” (helical phase pattern) of light beams, has recently gained interest due to its potential applications in many diverse areas. Particularly promising is the use of OAM for optical communications since: (i) coaxially propagating OAM beams with different azimuthal OAM states are mutually orthogonal, (ii) inter-beam crosstalk can be minimized, and (iii) the beams can be efficiently multiplexed and demultiplexed. As a result, multiple OAM states could be used as different carriers for multiplexing and transmitting multiple data streams, thereby potentially increasing the system capacity. In this paper, we review recent progress in OAM beam generation/detection, multiplexing/demultiplexing, and its potential applications in different scenarios including free-space optical communications, fiber-optic communications, and RF communications. Technical challenges and perspectives of OAM beams are also discussed.

Optical communications using orbital angular momentum beams

To generate a radially polarized laser beam we designed and fabricated a new Brewster optical element that consists of convex and concave conical prisms The lateral surface of the convex conical prism was coated with a dielectric multilayer (SiO2 and Ta2O5) to enhance polarization selectivity By combining two prisms we obtained a conical Brewster prism without beam divergence owing to refraction A radially polarized TEM01*(R−TEM01*) mode laser beam was demonstrated when this prism was used inside a Nd:YAG laser cavity

Generation of a radially polarized laser beam by use of a conical Brewster prism

Single-beam optical trapping of micrometer-sized dielectric particles is experimentally demonstrated using radially and azimuthally polarized beams. The axial and transverse optical trapping efficiencies of glass and polystyrene beads suspended in water are measured. The radially polarized beam exhibited the highest trapping efficiency in the axial direction due to the p polarization of the radial polarization on the particle surface. On the other hand, the azimuthally polarized beam had a higher transverse trapping efficiency than the radially polarized beam. These results are consistent with numerical predictions.

Optical trapping of micrometer-sized dielectric particles by cylindrical vector beams.

The intensity distributions near the focal point for radially polarized laser beams including higher-order transverse modes are calculated based on vector diffraction theory. For higher-order radially polarized mode beams as well as a fundamental mode (R-TEM01*) beam, the strong longitudinal component forms a sharper spot at the focal point under a high-NA focusing condition. In particular, double-ring-shaped radially polarized mode (R-TEM11*) beams can effectively reduce the focal spot size because of destructive interference between the inner and the outer rings with π phase shift. Compared with an R-TEM01* beam focusing in a limit of NA=1, the full width at half-maximum values of the focal spot for an R-TEM11* beam are decreased by 13.6% for the longitudinal component and 25.8% for the total intensity.

Sharper focal spot formed by higher-order radially polarized laser beams

We demonstrated the generation of a radially polarized laser beam from an extremely simple laser resonator including a c-cut Nd:YVO4 crystal as a laser medium. The oscillation in the radial polarization was based on the optical path difference between an extraordinary ray and an ordinary ray induced by the birefringence of the crystal. By simply adjusting the distance between two cavity mirrors, only the extraordinary ray became stable for the oscillation, resulting in the generation of a radially polarized beam. The beam was very stable even at low power output and is expected to be a promising radially polarized laser source because of its excellent simplicity.

Generation of a radially polarized laser beam by use of the birefringence of a c-cut Nd:YVO4 crystal.

A single-beam optical trapping of microscopic particles and biological cells is demonstrated by using higher-order mode Nd : YAG laser beams at 1.064 μm for the first known time. A stronger trapping force by a TEM01* beam than that by a TEM00 beam was observed and 360° rotation of a trapped red blood cell with a TEM0n beam was achieved.

Shunichi Sato

Papers

Generation of a radially polarized laser beam by use of a conical Brewster prism

Optical trapping of micrometer-sized dielectric particles by cylindrical vector beams.

Sharper focal spot formed by higher-order radially polarized laser beams

Generation of a radially polarized laser beam by use of the birefringence of a c-cut Nd:YVO4 crystal.

OPtical Trapping And Rotational Manipulation Of Microscopic Particles And Biological Cells Using Higher-Order Mode Nd: Yag laser beams