title: Achromatic vector vortex beams from a glass cone.
abstract: The reflection of light is governed by the laws first described by Augustin-Jean Fresnel: on internal reflection, light acquires a phase shift, which depends on its polarization direction with respect to the plane of incidence. For a conical reflector, the cylindrical symmetry is echoed in an angular variation of this phase shift, allowing us to create light modes with phase and polarization singularities. Here we observe the phase and polarization profiles of light that is back reflected from a solid glass cone and, in the case of circular input light, discover that not only does the beam contain orbital angular momentum but can trivially be converted to a radially polarized beam. Importantly, the Fresnel coefficients are reasonably stable across the visible spectrum, which we demonstrate by measuring white light polarization profiles. This discovery provides a highly cost-effective technique for the generation of broadband orbital angular momentum and radially polarized beams.
authors: SUPA and School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Glasgow, Kelvin Building, Renfrewshire, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK.
authors: N
authors: N
authors: Radwell
authors: SUPA and School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Glasgow, Kelvin Building, Renfrewshire, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK.
authors: R D
authors: RD
authors: Hawley
authors: Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, Nöthnitzer Strasse 38, 01187 Dresden, Germany.
authors: J B
authors: JB
authors: Götte
authors: SUPA and School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Glasgow, Kelvin Building, Renfrewshire, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK.
authors: S
authors: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2375-4206
authors: S
authors: Franke-Arnold