Generation of arbitrary cylindrical vector beams on the higher order Poincare sphere

We propose and experimentally demonstrate a novel interferometric approach to generate arbitrary cylindrical vector beams on the higher order Poincar sphere (HOPS). Our scheme is implemented by collinear superposition of two orthogonal circular polarizations with opposite topological charges. By modifying the amplitude and phase factors of the two beams, respectively, any desired vector beams on the HOPS with high tunability can be acquired. Our research provides a convenient way to evolve the polarization states in any path on the high order Poincar sphere. (C) 2014 Optical Society of America