An intuitive approach to structuring the three polarization components of light

F. Maucher (1) , Stefan Skupin (2) , S. A. Gardiner (1) , I. G. G Hughes (1)

1 Department of Physics [Durham University]
2 iLM - MMCI - iLM - Modélisation de la matière condensée et des interfaces

This paper presents intuitive interpretations of tightly focused beams of light by drawing analogies to two-dimensional electrostatics, magnetostatics and fluid dynamics. We use a Helmholtz decomposition of the transverse polarization components in the transverse plane to introduce generalized radial and azimuthal polarization states. This reveals the interplay between transverse and longitudinal polarization components in a transparent fashion. Our approach yields a comprehensive understanding of tightly focused laser beams, which we illustrate through several insightful examples.

Mots clés: laser beam shaping; electromagnetic optics; optical vortices; tighly focused beams

Domaines: Physique des plasmas [physics.plasm-ph]; Physique Atomique [physics.atom-ph]; Optique [physics.optics]

F. Maucher, Stefan Skupin, S. A. Gardiner, I. G. G Hughes. An intuitive approach to structuring the three polarization components of light. New Journal of Physics, 2019, 21 (1), pp.013032. ⟨10.1088/1367-2630/aaf711⟩. ⟨hal-01886649v2⟩