Generation of Radially Polarized Femtosecond Pulse Beam with a Polarization Plates Array

With both ultrafast optical properties of femtosecond pulse and cylindrically symmetric polarization properties of radially polarized light, the radially polarized femtosecond pulse beam has significant applications in super-high density optical storage and ultra-intense lasers. A scheme for generating radially polarized femtosecond pulse beam by a polarization plates array is proposed, in which a phase-only liquid crystal spatial light modulator (LC-SLM) is used to load different phase retardation distribution in transverse into linearly polarized femtosecond pulse beam. Associated with a quarter wave plate, the input linearly polarized femtosecond pulse beam will be converted to radially polarized femtosecond pulse beam at the back of the polarization plates array. The experimental results indicate that the scheme can be well used to generate radially polarized light, and more effective results can be obtained with the increase of sectored polarization plates.