Generation and evolution of Vortex array with variable-ratio lateral-shearing interferometry

Different from the method by plane-wave interference, here an efficient approach is proposed to generate optical vortex array (VA) based on lateral-shearing interferometer (LSI), in which the evolution from light spot array to VA can be observed by continuously variable shear ratio in a certain range. VAs with topological charge 2 and 1 are simulated by software GLAD and proved to be effectiveness through optical experiment. Theoretical analysis and experimental results show that when the shear ratio approaches to zero, we can stably obtain a vortex array with high density and variable topological charge.

Observation of the Rotational Doppler Effect With Structured Beams in Atomic Vapor

A vector beam with the spatial variation polarization has attracted keen interest and is progressively applied in quantum information, quantum communication, precision measurement, and so on. In this letter, the spectrum observation of the rotational Doppler effect based on the coherent interaction between atoms and structured light in an atomic vapor is realized. The geometric phase and polarization of the structured beam are generated and manipulated by using a flexible and efficacious combination optical elements, converting an initial linearly polarized Gaussian beam into a phase vortex beam or an asymmetric or symmetric vector beam. These three representative types of structured beam independently interact with atoms under a longitudinal magnetic field to explore the rotational Doppler shift associated with the topological charge. We find that the rotational Doppler broadening increases obviously with the topological charge of the asymmetric and symmetric vector beam. There is no rotational Doppler broadening observed from the spectrum of the phase vortex beam, although the topological charge, and spatial profile of the beam change. This study can be applied to estimate the rotational velocity of the atom-level or molecule-level objects, measure the intensity of magnetic fields and study the quantum coherence in atomic ensembles.

Inhomogeneous pion condensed phase hosting topologically stable baryons

We discuss the inhomogeneous pion condensed phase within the framework of chiral perturbation theory. We show how the general expression of the condensate can be obtained solving three coupled differential equations, expressing how the pion fields are modulated in space. Upon using some simplifying assumptions, we determine an analytic solution in (3+1)-dimensions. The obtained inhomogeneous condensate is characterized by a non-vanishing topological charge, which can be identified with the baryonic number. In this way, we obtain an inhomogeneous system of pions hosting an arbitrary number of baryons at fixed position in space.

Shack-Hartmann Wavefront Sensing of Ultrashort Optical Vortices

Light beams carrying Orbital Angular Momentum (OAM), also known as optical vortices (OV), have led to fascinating new developments in fields ranging from quantum communication to novel light–matter interaction aspects. Even though several techniques have emerged to synthesize these structured-beams, their detection, in particular, single-shot amplitude, wavefront, and modal content characterization, remains a challenging task. Here, we report the single-shot amplitude, wavefront, and modal content characterization of ultrashort OV using a Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor. These vortex beams are obtained using spiral phase plates (SPPs) that are frequently used for high-intensity applications. The reconstructed wavefronts display a helical structure compatible with the topological charge induced by the SPPs. We affirm the accuracy of the optical field reconstruction by the wavefront sensor through an excellent agreement between the numerically backpropagated and experimentally obtained intensity distribution at the waist. Consequently, through Laguerre–Gauss (LG) decomposition of the reconstructed fields, we reveal the radial and azimuthal mode composition of vortex beams under different conditions. The potential of our method is further illustrated by characterizing asymmetric Gaussian vortices carrying fractional average OAM, and a realtime topological charge measurement at a 10Hz repetition rate. These results can promote Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensing as a single-shot OV characterization tool.