Polarization conversion under focusing of vortex laser beams along the axis of anisotropic crystals

We report the development of an optical system based on diffractive optical elements and uniaxial crystals to produce radially and azimuthally polarized beams, including beams of higher orders. The conditions for the generation of beams with different polarization states in an anisotropic crystal with an arbitrary axially symmetric amplitude distribution are analyzed theoretically. The results of the experimental study on the generation of cylindrical vector beams in a calcite crystal agree with the results of the simulation.