Vector Hermite-Gaussian correlated Schell-model beam

A new kind of partially coherent vector beam named vector Hermite-Gaussian correlated Schell-model (HGCSM) beam is introduced as a natural extension of recently introduced scalar HGCSM beam. The realizability and beam conditions for a vector HGCSM beam with uniform state of polarization (SOP) or non-uniform SOP are derived, respectively. Furthermore, analytical formulae for a vector HGCSM beam propagating in free space are derived, and the propagation properties of a vector HGCSM beam with uniform SOP or non-uniform SOP in free space are studied and analyzed in detail. We find that the behaviors of a vector HGCSM beam on propagation are quite different from those of a conventional vector partially coherent beam with uniform SOP or non-uniform SOP, and modulating the structures of the correlation functions cannot only modulate the intensity distribution, but also the state of polarization, the degree of polarization and the polarization singularities of a partially coherent vector beam on propagation. Furthermore, we report experimental generation of a radially polarized HGCSM beam for the first time. Our results provide a novel way for polarization modulation. (C) 2016 Optical Society of America