Experimental generation of a radially polarized beam with controllable spatial coherence

Abstract

We have experimentally generated a radially polarized (RP) beam with controllable state of spatial coherence by using a rotating ground-glass plate and a radial polarization converter. Furthermore, experimental and theoretical analysis of the focusing properties of a partially coherent RP beam is carried out. Our results show that we can shape the beam profile of the focused RP beam by varying its initial spatial coherence, which is useful for material thermal processing and particle trapping. The experimental results are in complete agreement with the theoretical predictions. © 2012 American Institute of Physics.