Open AccessNonparaxial and paraxial focusing of azimuthal-variant vector beams
Author(s) -
Bing Gu,
Yiping Cui
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
optics express
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.394
H-Index - 271
ISSN - 1094-4087
DOI - 10.1364/oe.20.017684
Subject(s) - paraxial approximation , physics , azimuth , optics , polarization (electrochemistry) , thin lens , light beam , beam (structure) , electric field , poynting vector , topological quantum number , gaussian beam , radial polarization , lens (geology) , quantum mechanics , laser beam quality , laser beams , laser , chemistry , magnetic field
Based on the vectorial Rayleigh-Sommerfeld formulas under the weak nonparaxial approximation, we investigate the propagation behavior of a lowest-order Laguerre-Gaussian beam with azimuthal-variant states of polarization. We present the analytical expressions for the radial, azimuthal, and longitudinal components of the electric field with an arbitrary integer topological charge m focused by a nonaperturing thin lens. We illustrate the three-dimensional optical intensities, energy flux distributions, beam waists, and focal shifts of the focused azimuthal-variant vector beams under the nonparaxial and paraxial approximations.