Optical vortices with axisymmetric polarization structure

Consideration is given to the basic properties and characteristics of optical vortices (OV) featuring a helical phase structure combined with axisymmetric polarization structure. Correlation between polarization-symmetric beams and OV is analyzed. Based on the Jones formalized matrices, it is shown how axisymmetric polarization structure is generated when an optical vortex passes through spiral optical elements: polarizer and phase plate. It is shown that the polarization-optical system consisting of two cube-corner reflectors with a special phase-correction coating to ensure a certain phase shift between electric vector components is equivalent to a spiral two-order rotator, which provides an optical vortex from a circular-polarization wave.