Engineering of the space-variant linear polarization of vortex-beams in biaxially induced crystals

We considered the propagation of Bessel beams through the biaxially induced birefringent crystal implemented by the mechanical torsion of the uniaxial crystal around its optical axis. Analyzing the solutions to the wave equation in the form of eigenmodes, we found that the system enables us to convert the beams with a uniform distribution of the linear polarization at the beam cross section into radially, azimuthally, and spirally polarized beams. Moreover, we revealed that the above system permits us to convert the beams with the space-variant linear polarization in accordance with the rule -s reversible arrow s+1, where s is the topological index of the centered polarization singularity. (C) 2012 Optical Society of America