Radially Polarized Bessel Beams

Date of Award

8-2020

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy in Physics

Department

Physics

First Advisor

Raphael A. Guerrero, PhD

Abstract

Radial polarizers are currently limited to sophisticated spatial light modulators, specialized gratings and photorefractive crystals which entail high cost. This dissertation determines the feasibility of developing a compact and inexpensive radial polarizer without using complex preparation methods. A radial polarizer from a spherulite derived from a local material is successfully fabricated. Spherulites were grown from an oleoresin polymer inside a thickness-constrained glass cell. The oleoresin, commercially known as Manila elemi, is harvested from a Canarium ovatum (or Pili) tree.

The spherulitic cell acts as an insert in a three-polarizer system and is capable of transforming incident zero-order Bessel beam intensity profiles. Bessel beam order is transformed from l = 0 to l = 2, observed as periodic intensity voids at azimuthal angle positions separated by π/2. Experimental images match theoretical predictions. A pronounced singularity at the beam center indicates success in producing polarization vortices. This dissertation presents interesting results for methods of optical trapping and transport, photolithography, and optical holography.

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