偏振是光的固有属性之一，用于描述电矢量的振动方向，也是光场的一个重要信息参量。光场的偏振测量，尤其是具有复杂空间结构光场的偏振分布测量，是研究光场偏振特性及其应用的重要课题。本文从偏振测量的相关原理出发，总结评述近年来有关光场偏振分布测量和材料光学各向异性测量方法的发展动态，以及不同条件下光场的斯托克斯参量、光学各向异性材料的琼斯矩阵和双折射参数的测量方法及其应用。

We propose an efficient and robust method to generate tunable vector beams by employing a single phase-type spatial light modulator (SLM). With this method, a linearly polarized Gaussian beam can be converted into a vector beam with arbitrarily controllable polarization state, phase, and amplitude. The energy loss during the conversion is greatly reduced and depends mainly on the reflectivity of the SLM. We experimentally demonstrate that conversion efficiency of about 47% is achieved by using an SLM with reflectivity of 62%. Several typical vector beams, including cylindrical vector beams, vector beams on higher order Poincaré spheres, and arbitrary vector beams attached with phases and with tunable amplitude, are generated and verified experimentally. This method is also expected to create high-power vector beams and play important roles in optical fabrication and light trapping.

Polarization oscillating beams, namely, polarization standing waves, commonly formed by a pair of coherent counterpropagating light waves with orthogonal polarizations, oscillate their states of polarization periodically within a wavelength interval, offering conceptual and practical interests in light-matter interactions such as the nonreciprocal magnetoelectric effect, and impressive applications in optical imaging, sensing, and chirality detection. Here, we propose a new class of polarization oscillating beams that longitudinally vary states of polarization with spatial intervals within centimeters via the superposition of two copropagating optical frozen waves with preshaped longitudinal intensity profiles and transverse phase structures. The flexibility and manipulability are demonstrated by creating several polarization oscillating beams with different polarization structures. This work paves a new way to manipulate other waves and may be useful for applications of optical standing waves in optical manipulation, light guiding of atoms, polarization-sensitive sensing, etc.