COMPOSITE VORTEX BEAM GENERATION USING DICHROIC NEMATIC LIQUID CRYSTAL CELL WITH TOPOLOGICAL DEFECT.

We demonstrate both theoretically and experimentally that a linearly polarized optical beam incident on a linearly dichroic nematic liquid crystal cell with a topological defect of the topological strength q and linear dichroism, transforms into a composite vector beam consisting of elementary vector beams with the polarization singularity orders m=2q and m=q. Consequently, it has been proved that due to the linear dichroism a liquid crystal defect of the topological strength q=1 transforms an incident circularly polarized beam into a composite vortex beam consisting of the double-charged vortex beam and vector-vortex beam with polarization order and topological charge that are equal to unity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]