Modulating linearly polarized light into a full Poincaré beam by stress-engineered optical element

Aiming at the requirement of illumination uniformity and backscattering suppression in laser-driven inertial confinement fusion (ICF) facilities, we propose a polarization smoothing (PS) scheme based on stress-engineered optical element that can modulate linearly polarized light into a full Poincare beam. The unique law of modulation of the polarization state by glass window under symmetrical loads is revealed by numerical simulations, the results indicate that the glass window exhibits a fast axis orientation that rotates with the polar angle and a phase retardance that increases with the radius under more than two symmetrical pressure loads. Further optical calculations show that when the pressure of the loads and the thickness of the glass are sufficient, the window can modulate the linearly polarized light into a full Poincarebeam.