Chinese Optics Letters, Volume. 24, Issue 1, (2026)
Vector Vortex Laser Based on Intracavity Mode Conversion [Early Posting]
This study presents a method for direct mode control in an all-solid-state laser system using a vortex retarder, enabling the generation of vector vortex beams with topological charges of ±1, ±8, and ±32. The intracavity beam dynamics of vector vortex beams were investigated, achieving efficient conversion from linearly polarized Gaussian modes to vector-polarized Laguerre-Gaussian (LG) modes. The system demonstrates robust generation of multiple vector vortex modes at 1064 nm, with maximum output powers of 9.37 W (LG0,−1), 9.56 W (LG0,+1), 5.33 W (LG0,±8), and 4.05 W (LG0,±32). First-order vector vortex's measured radial and azimuthal polarization purities reached 92.36% and 96.03%, respectively. The high slope efficiencies obtained in experiments establish critical benchmarks for developing compact vector vortex laser sources.