Influence of polarization on the optical chirality of vortex beams

Green, Dale ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2549-0486 and Forbes, Kayn ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8884-3496 (2023) Influence of polarization on the optical chirality of vortex beams. In: Proceedings of SPIE 12436, Complex Light and Optical Forces XVII. UNSPECIFIED, San Francisco.

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Abstract

It is well understood that circularly polarized light possesses optical chirality. This optical chirality can engage with material chirality, leading to optical activity, the underlying physics of chiroptical spectroscopy. Optical vortex beams with azimuthal phase possess helical wavefronts that are chiral. Under spatial confinement (e.g. tight focusing), the polarization state of the input beam and the geometrical wavefront chirality are not independent of one another, and their interplay significantly influences the optical chirality density of the beam. Here we highlight how the state of input beam polarization, e.g. linear, elliptical, and circular, influences the optical chirality of vortex beams. We show that the spatial distributions of the optical chirality density are acutely dependent on the polarization of the input beam, alongside other characteristics like the topological charge and radial index. Most striking is that even an unpolarized optical vortex beam possesses non-zero optical chirality density.

Item Type: Book Section
Uncontrolled Keywords: optical chirality,chirality,nano optics,non-paraxial,optical activity,optical helicity,optical vortex,structured light,electronic, optical and magnetic materials,condensed matter physics,computer science applications,applied mathematics,electrical and electronic engineering ,/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/2500/2504
Faculty \ School: Faculty of Science > School of Chemistry
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Depositing User: LivePure Connector
Date Deposited: 16 Mar 2023 10:30
Last Modified: 15 Mar 2024 01:38
URI: https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/91558
DOI: 10.1117/12.2648474

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