Higher-order complex source for elegant Laguerre-Gaussian waves
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Updated: Aug 21, 2026

The Generation of Higher-order Laguerre-Gauss Optical Beams for High-precision Interferometry
Published on: August 12, 2013
Miguel A Bandres1, Julio C Gutiérrez-Vega
1Photonics and Mathematical Optics Group, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Monterrey, México. mbandres@grad.physics.sunysb.edu
Abstract:
We introduce a higher-order complex source that generates elegant Laguerre-Gaussian waves with radial mode number n and angular mode number m. We derive the integral and differential representations for the elegant Laguerre-Gaussian wave that in the appropriate limit yields the corresponding elegant Laguerre-Gaussian beam. From the spectral representation of the elegant Lauguerre-Gaussian wave we determine the first three orders of nonparaxial corrections for the corresponding paraxial elegant Laguerre-Gaussian beam.
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