Polarization conversion at sharp focusing of vector vortex beams

We demonstrate the conversion of cylindrically polarized laser beams in an orthogonal polarization state by introducing a high-order vortex phase singularity. Our theoretical and experimental investigations show that increasing the order of the phase singularity leads to effective generation of azimuthal polarization from radial polarization. These results demonstrate tight interrelation of the specific polarization and phase states of electromagnetic beams, which should be taken into account in the relevant applications.