The 8th International Conference on Matter and Radiation at Extremes (ICMRE2025)

Phase and polarization are regarded as two fundamental physical quantities characterizing optical properties. Recently, vortex beams with helical phasefronts and vector beams exhibiting non-uniform transverse polarization distributions have attracted considerable attention due to its extensive applications, including optical communication, particle acceleration, and laser-plasma instabilities. However, the generation of intense vortex and vector beams has been limited by the ionization threshold of conventional optical devices. To address this limitation, we propose a novel approach that utilizes a Q-plate-like magnetized plasmas to generate intense vortex beams and vector beams. This approach employs pump lasers to directly accelerate electrons, generating longitudinal currents that induce azimuthal magnetic fields, forming plasma Q-plates. The resultant plasma Q-plates interact reciprocally with the pump laser, converting it into vortex beams. Furthermore, such azimuthally magnetized plasmas can function as plasma polarizers, manipulating polarization distribution through refractive index control of ordinary and extraordinary waves, ultimately generating cylindrical vector beams. This method enables generation of ultra-high power vortex and vector beams without relying on precision optical components, paves the way towards the potential applications of structured light in strong-field physics.
 

cylindrical vector beams,votex beams,magnetized plasma