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Updated: Jun 17, 2026
12:14
The Generation of Higher-order Laguerre-Gauss Optical Beams for High-precision Interferometry
Published on: August 12, 2013
Generating superpositions of higher-order Bessel beams
Ruslan Vasilyeu1, Angela Dudley, Nikolai Khilo
1B.I. Stepanov Institute of Physics of NAS of Belarus, Nezalezhnasti Ave., 68, 220072 Minsk, Belarus.
Optics Express
|January 7, 2010
Summary
Researchers experimentally generated superpositions of higher-order Bessel beams using a spatial light modulator. This novel technique creates beams with zero orbital angular momentum that exhibit rotational intensity profiles during propagation.
Area of Science:
- Optics and Photonics
- Quantum Optics
- Laser Physics
Background:
- Bessel beams are non-diffracting beams with unique propagation characteristics.
- Higher-order Bessel beams possess orbital angular momentum.
- Controlling light propagation and beam properties is crucial for optical applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To experimentally generate the superposition of higher-order Bessel beams.
- To investigate the propagation dynamics of these novel beam superpositions.
- To explore the generation of beams with zero orbital angular momentum but rotating intensity profiles.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing a spatial light modulator (SLM) to impart azimuthal phase dependence.
- Employing a ring slit aperture for beam shaping.
- Illuminating the aperture with tailored light fields.
- Comparing experimental results with theoretical calculations.
Main Results:
- Successfully generated the superposition of higher-order Bessel beams experimentally.
- Observed good agreement between experimental and theoretical field distributions.
- Demonstrated the generation of fields with zero orbital angular momentum.
- Recorded a rotation in the intensity profile of the generated beams during propagation.
Conclusions:
- The experimental generation of higher-order Bessel beam superpositions is feasible using SLMs and ring apertures.
- These superpositions offer a pathway to create exotic light fields with unique propagation characteristics.
- The observed rotational intensity profile in zero orbital angular momentum beams opens new avenues for optical manipulation and metrology.
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