High-speed generation of singular beams through random spatial multiplexing

Abstract

Abstract Complex vector modes have become topical of late due to their fascinating properties and the many applications they have found across a broad variety of research fields. Even though such modes can be generated in a wide variety of ways, digital holography stands out as one of the most flexible and versatile. Along this line, digital micromirror devices (DMDs) have gained popularity in recent times due to their high refresh rates, which allows the generation of vector modes at kHz rates. Nonetheless, most techniques are limited either by the diversity of vector modes that can be generated or by the speed at which they can be switched. Here we propose a technique based on the concept of random encoding, which allows the generation of arbitrary vector beams at speeds limited only by the refresh rate of the DMD. Our technique will be of great relevance in research fields such as optical communications, laser material processing and optical manipulation, amongst others.