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Updated: Jun 5, 2025

The Generation of Higher-order Laguerre-Gauss Optical Beams for High-precision Interferometry
Published on: August 12, 2013
Spatiotemporal optical vortices with arbitrary orbital angular momentum orientation by astigmatic mode converters
Yimin Zang1, Amal Mirando1, Andy Chong1,2
1Department of Electro-Optics and Photonics, University of Dayton, Dayton, USA.
Abstract:
We generate a spatiotemporal optical vortex (STOV) with tunable orbital angular momentum (OAM) orientation by a simple lens system. We utilize a cylindrical lens system, which is an astigmatic mode converter, to add longitudinal angular momentum to tilt the purely transverse OAM in an arbitrary direction. The amount of tilt is tunable by adjusting the lens system, and thus the OAM direction is continuously adjustable. STOVs with adjustable OAM directions have been verified theoretically and experimentally. We believe such direction controllable OAMs will enrich future applications.
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