Shaping the longitudinal electric field component of light

F. Maucher; S. Skupin; S. A. Gardiner; I. G. Hughes

doi:10.1117/12.2512112

1 March 2019 Shaping the longitudinal electric field component of light

F. Maucher, S. Skupin, S. A. Gardiner, I. G. Hughes

Proceedings Volume 10935, Complex Light and Optical Forces XIII; 1093502 (2019) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2512112
Event: SPIE OPTO, 2019, San Francisco, California, United States

Abstract

This paper illustrates examples of shaping the longitudinal electric field component of light which is relevant for tightly focused beams. Given that the latter is not directly accessible via conventional beam shaping techniques we elaborate on the interplay between the transverse polarization and longitudinal electric field components. A Helmholtz decomposition of the transverse electric field components in the transverse plane permits on the one hand to draw insightful analogies with electro- and magnetostatics and with fluid dynamics. On the other hand, it allows to clearly isolate the remaining degree of freedom in the transverse electric field components for a given longitudinal electric field component and with that to generalize the concepts of radial and azimuthal polarization. We discuss degrees of freedom and show how one can exploit the findings to generate novel customized vector beams. Furthermore, we present a thought experiment to study beams containing evanescent waves.

Conference Presentation

Citation Download Citation

F. Maucher, S. Skupin, S. A. Gardiner, and I. G. Hughes "Shaping the longitudinal electric field component of light", Proc. SPIE 10935, Complex Light and Optical Forces XIII, 1093502 (1 March 2019); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2512112

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