Generation of radially polarized zero-order Bessel beams by diffractive and polarization optics

An optical system for the generation of azimuthally and radially polarized zero-order Bessel beams is proposed. A zero-order Bessel beam is formed by an amplitude diffractive axicon, whereas the polarization conversion is based on the interference in a multilayer structure. A radially polarized zero-order Bessel beam is experimentally generated with the help of a binary-amplitude axicon.