Chinese researchers flexibly generate high-order vector vortex beams

Researchers at the University of Science and Technology of China have developed a new method to flexibly generate and control high-order vector vortex beams (VVBs). This advancement offers potential for various applications. The team's method uses a single geometric phase element to manipulate polarization and phase, enabling the generation of VVBs with both phase and polarization charges up to 16. This approach is more cost-effective and easier to integrate than previous methods. The study, published in Laser & Photonics Reviews, also utilized Poincaré spheres to describe the polarization control process, offering a deeper understanding of the VVB generation. VVBs are useful in laser processing and other fields.