Generation of Complex Vector and Vortex Extreme Ultraviolet Beams Using the S-Waveplate and Spiral Phase Plate during High-Order Harmonics Generation in Argon
Victor Kärcher, Vyacheslav V. Kim, Andra Naresh Kumar Reddy, H. Zacharias, R. A. Ganeev
Abstract
We report the generation of vector and vortex high-order harmonic beams in argon using the femtosecond laser pulses propagated through the phase-modifying optical elements (S-waveplate or spiral phase plate). The effect of two-color pump-enhanced harmonics is combined with the polarization-structured vector and vortex beams. The application of a radially polarized vector beam in the orthogonal polarization two-color pump scheme allows for the generation of spatially structured odd- and even-order harmonics with variably polarized components. The intermediate states between radial and azimuthally polarized vector beams allow the generation of harmonics with twisted wavefronts.