title: Properties of circularly polarized vortex beams.
abstract: The properties of circularly polarized vortex beams in cylindrical polarization bases are studied. A circularly polarized vortex beam is decomposed into radial and azimuthal polarization. With the proper combination of vortex charge and the handedness of the circular polarization, a focal field with an extremely strong longitudinal component as well as a flat-topped profile can be obtained. The cylindrical decomposition also sheds light on the connections between orbital angular momentum and the spin of the light beams.
authors.affiliation: Electro-Optics Graduate Program, University of Dayton, 300 College Park, Dayton, Ohio 45469-0245, USA. qiwen.zhan@notes.udayton.edu
authors.forename: Qiwen
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhan