Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

Journal of the Optical Society of America B

Optical vortex with a small core and Gaussian intensity envelope for light-matter interaction

Yisa S. Rumala, A. E. Leanhardt

Published Apr 6, 2017• 12 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Optical vortices with a vortex core size that is at least two orders of magnitude smaller than the laser beam waist is presented. The optical vortex is generated by a spiral phase plate (SPP) and counterrotating optical vortex pairs are created in a modified Mach–Zehnder interferometer surrounded by a 4f lens arrangement. The azimuthal variation of the counterrotating optical vortex forms a sinusoidal intensity modulation for which the winding number of the optical vortex is deduced accurately and precisely by fitting it to a sinusoidal function. These results are of interest in designing novel optical vortex gratings for manipulating matter waves (e.g., in Kapitza–Dirac scattering). A theory of atomic angular Kapitza–Dirac scattering with optical vortices is presented. The large beam waist combined with a small optical vortex core size would also be of interest when using an optical vortex to perform spectroscopy in a wide range of matter systems including solid, liquid, atomic, and molecular systems, as well as in short-range optical communication.

DOI
10.1364/josab.34.000909

Related papers

A crossed focused vortex beam with application to cold molecules*

Meng Xia, Yaling Yin, Chunying Pei +6 more

We report the generation of a crossed, focused, optical vortex beam by using a pair of hybrid holograms, which combine the vortex phase and lens phase onto a spatial light modulator. We study the intensity distributions of the vortex beam in free propagation space, and the relationship of its dark spot size with the incident Gaussian beam’s waist, the lens’s focal length, and its orbital angular momentum. Our results show that the crossed, focused, vortex beam’s dark spot size can be as small as 16.3 μm and adjustable by the quantum number of the orbital angular momentum, and can be used to increase the density of trapped molecules. Furthermore, we calculate the optical potential of the blue-detuned, crossed vortex beam for MgF molecules. It is applicable to cool and trap neutral molecules by intensity-gradient-induced Sisyphus cooling, as the intensity gradient of such vortex beam is extremely high near the focal point.

Chinese Physics B•Apr 19, 2021•6 citations

Optical vortices for localized optical lattice site manipulation

Ethan F. Schonbrun, Rafael Piestun

We present a method for manipulating individual sites in a 2-D optical lattice that enables the creation of defects within otherwise periodic light patterns. The modified optical lattice is created by interference of plane waves and spiral phase waves. Spiral phase modulation creates an optical vortex that is well suited for addressing single rows of the optical lattice owing to the localized wrap of the phase front. Local fringes can be split, annihilated, or have their size tuned by controlling the charge and location of the vortex cores. These properties provide a connection between dislocations in crystals, waves, and optical lattices.

Optical Engineering•Feb 1, 2006•15 citations

Interaction of atom with nonparaxial Laguerre-Gaussian beam: Forming superposition of vortex states in Bose-Einstein condensates

Anal Bhowmik, Pradip Kumar Mondal, Sonjoy Majumder +1 more

The exchange of orbital angular momentum (OAM) between paraxial optical vortex and a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) of atomic gases is well known. In this paper, we develop a theory for the microscopic interaction between matter and an optical vortex beyond paraxial approximation. We show how superposition of vortex states of BEC can be created with a focused optical vortex. Since the polarization or spin angular momentum (SAM) of the optical field is coupled with OAM of the field, in this case, these angular momenta can be transferred to the internal electronic and external center-of-mass motion of atoms provided both the motions are coupled. We propose a scheme for producing the superposition of matter-wave vortices using Gaussian and a focused Laguerre-Gaussian beam. We study how two-photon Rabi frequencies of stimulated Raman transitions vary with focusing angles for different combinations of OAM and SAM of optical states. We demonstrate the formation of vortex-antivortex structure and discuss interference of three vortex states in a BEC.

arXiv:1602.06405•Physical Review A•Jun 28, 2016•22 citations

Atoms in complex twisted light

M. Babiker, Davıd L. Andrews, V. E. Lembessis

The physics of optical vortices, also known as twisted light, is now a well-established and a growing branch of optical physics with a number of important applications and significant interdisciplinary connections.Optical vortex fields of widely varying forms and degrees of complexity can be realised in the laboratory by a host of different means.The interference between such beams with designated orbital angular momenta and optical spins (the latter is associated with wave polarisations) can be structured to conform to various geometrical arrangements.The focus of this review is on how such tailored forms of light can exert a controllable influence on atoms with which they interact.The main physical effects involve atoms in motion due to application of optical forces.The now mature area of atom optics has had notable successes both of fundamental nature and in applications such as atom lasers, atom guides and Bose-Einstein condensates.The concepts in atom optics encompass not only atomic beams interacting with light, but atomic motion in general as influenced by optical and other fields.Our primary concern in this review is on atoms in structured light where, in particular, the twisted nature of the light is made highly complex with additional features due to wave polarisation.These features bring to the fore a variety of physical phenomena not realisable in the context of atomic motion in more conventional forms of laser light.Atoms near resonance with such structured light fields become subject to electromagnetic fields with complex polarisation and phase distributions, as well as intricately structured intensity gradients and radiative forces.From the combined effect of optical spin and orbital angular momenta, atoms may also experience forces and torques involving an interplay between the internal and centre of mass degrees of freedom.Such interactions lead to new forms of processes including scattering, trapping and rotation and, as a result, they exhibit characteristic new features at the micro-scale and below.A number of distinctive properties involving angular momentum exchange between the light and the atoms are highlighted, and prospective applications are discussed.Comparison is made between the theoretical predictions in this area and the corresponding experiments that have been reported to date.

Journal of Optics•Oct 31, 2018•152 citations

Optical generation of vortices in trapped Bose-Einstein condensates

G. Andrelczyk, Mirosław Brewczyk, Ł. Dobrek +2 more

We study theoretically a generation of vortices by phase imprinting in trapped Bose-Einstein condensates. Phase imprinting is achieved by passing a short off-resonance laser pulse through an appropriately designed absorption plate, and impinging it on a condensate. We answer the fundamental question how the circulation and the vortex are introduced into the system. We discuss the possibility of multiple vortex arrays creation. Using multiple absorption plates we show that genuine vortex arrays and vortex-antivortex configurations can be created in a controlled way. We discuss vortex dynamics and interactions in such configurations. Various methods of vortex detection based on interference combined with Bragg scattering technique are also analyzed.

Physical Review A•Sep 10, 2001•33 citations

High helicity vortex conversion in a rubidium vapor

Aurélien Chopinaud, Marion Jacquey, B. Viaris de Lesegno +1 more

The orbital angular momentum (OAM) of light is a quantity explored for communication and quantum technology, its key strength being a wide set of values offering a large basis for quantum working. In this context we have studied the vortex conversion from a red optical vortex to a blue one, for OAMs ranging $\ensuremath{-}30$ to $+30$. The conversion is realized in a rubidium vapor, via the $5{S}_{1/2}\ensuremath{-}5{D}_{5/2}\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}^{85}\mathrm{Rb}$ two-photon transition done with a Gaussian beam at $780\phantom{\rule{4pt}{0ex}}\mathrm{nm}$ plus a Laguerre-Gaussian beam at $776\phantom{\rule{4pt}{0ex}}\mathrm{nm}$ with the OAM $\ensuremath{\ell}$, producing a radiation at $420\phantom{\rule{4pt}{0ex}}\mathrm{nm}$. With copropagating input beams, we demonstrate a conversion from red to blue for high-$\ensuremath{\ell}$ input vortices. We show that the output blue vortex respects the azimuthal phase matching, has a size determined by the product of the input beams, and a power decreasing with $\ensuremath{\ell}$, in agreement with their overlap. Its propagation indicates that the generated blue wave is a nearly pure Laguerre-Gaussian mode. The vortex converter thus permits a correct OAM transmission.

arXiv:1803.07182•Physical Review A•Jun 6, 2018•49 citations
Optical vortices with a vortex core size that is at least two orders of magnitude smaller than the laser beam waist is presented. The optical vortex is generated by a spiral phase plate (SPP) and counterrotating optical vortex pairs are created in a modified Mach–Zehnder interferometer surrounded by a 4f lens arrangement. The azimuthal variation of the counterrotating optical vortex forms a sinusoidal intensity modulation for which the winding number of the optical vortex is deduced accurately and precisely by fitting it to a sinusoidal function. These results are of interest in designing novel optical vortex gratings for manipulating matter waves (e.g., in Kapitza–Dirac scattering). A theory of atomic angular Kapitza–Dirac scattering with optical vortices is presented. The large beam waist combined with a small optical vortex core size would also be of interest when using an optical vortex to perform spectroscopy in a wide range of matter systems including solid, liquid, atomic, and molecular systems, as well as in short-range optical communication.
We report the generation of a crossed, focused, optical vortex beam by using a pair of hybrid holograms, which combine the vortex phase and lens phase onto a spatial light modulator. We study the intensity distributions of the vortex beam in free propagation space, and the relationship of its dark spot size with the incident Gaussian beam’s waist, the lens’s focal length, and its orbital angular momentum. Our results show that the crossed, focused, vortex beam’s dark spot size can be as small as 16.3 μm and adjustable by the quantum number of the orbital angular momentum, and can be used to increase the density of trapped molecules. Furthermore, we calculate the optical potential of the blue-detuned, crossed vortex beam for MgF molecules. It is applicable to cool and trap neutral molecules by intensity-gradient-induced Sisyphus cooling, as the intensity gradient of such vortex beam is extremely high near the focal point.
We present a method for manipulating individual sites in a 2-D optical lattice that enables the creation of defects within otherwise periodic light patterns. The modified optical lattice is created by interference of plane waves and spiral phase waves. Spiral phase modulation creates an optical vortex that is well suited for addressing single rows of the optical lattice owing to the localized wrap of the phase front. Local fringes can be split, annihilated, or have their size tuned by controlling the charge and location of the vortex cores. These properties provide a connection between dislocations in crystals, waves, and optical lattices.
The exchange of orbital angular momentum (OAM) between paraxial optical vortex and a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) of atomic gases is well known. In this paper, we develop a theory for the microscopic interaction between matter and an optical vortex beyond paraxial approximation. We show how superposition of vortex states of BEC can be created with a focused optical vortex. Since the polarization or spin angular momentum (SAM) of the optical field is coupled with OAM of the field, in this case, these angular momenta can be transferred to the internal electronic and external center-of-mass motion of atoms provided both the motions are coupled. We propose a scheme for producing the superposition of matter-wave vortices using Gaussian and a focused Laguerre-Gaussian beam. We study how two-photon Rabi frequencies of stimulated Raman transitions vary with focusing angles for different combinations of OAM and SAM of optical states. We demonstrate the formation of vortex-antivortex structure and discuss interference of three vortex states in a BEC.
The physics of optical vortices, also known as twisted light, is now a well-established and a growing branch of optical physics with a number of important applications and significant interdisciplinary connections.Optical vortex fields of widely varying forms and degrees of complexity can be realised in the laboratory by a host of different means.The interference between such beams with designated orbital angular momenta and optical spins (the latter is associated with wave polarisations) can be structured to conform to various geometrical arrangements.The focus of this review is on how such tailored forms of light can exert a controllable influence on atoms with which they interact.The main physical effects involve atoms in motion due to application of optical forces.The now mature area of atom optics has had notable successes both of fundamental nature and in applications such as atom lasers, atom guides and Bose-Einstein condensates.The concepts in atom optics encompass not only atomic beams interacting with light, but atomic motion in general as influenced by optical and other fields.Our primary concern in this review is on atoms in structured light where, in particular, the twisted nature of the light is made highly complex with additional features due to wave polarisation.These features bring to the fore a variety of physical phenomena not realisable in the context of atomic motion in more conventional forms of laser light.Atoms near resonance with such structured light fields become subject to electromagnetic fields with complex polarisation and phase distributions, as well as intricately structured intensity gradients and radiative forces.From the combined effect of optical spin and orbital angular momenta, atoms may also experience forces and torques involving an interplay between the internal and centre of mass degrees of freedom.Such interactions lead to new forms of processes including scattering, trapping and rotation and, as a result, they exhibit characteristic new features at the micro-scale and below.A number of distinctive properties involving angular momentum exchange between the light and the atoms are highlighted, and prospective applications are discussed.Comparison is made between the theoretical predictions in this area and the corresponding experiments that have been reported to date.
We study theoretically a generation of vortices by phase imprinting in trapped Bose-Einstein condensates. Phase imprinting is achieved by passing a short off-resonance laser pulse through an appropriately designed absorption plate, and impinging it on a condensate. We answer the fundamental question how the circulation and the vortex are introduced into the system. We discuss the possibility of multiple vortex arrays creation. Using multiple absorption plates we show that genuine vortex arrays and vortex-antivortex configurations can be created in a controlled way. We discuss vortex dynamics and interactions in such configurations. Various methods of vortex detection based on interference combined with Bragg scattering technique are also analyzed.
The orbital angular momentum (OAM) of light is a quantity explored for communication and quantum technology, its key strength being a wide set of values offering a large basis for quantum working. In this context we have studied the vortex conversion from a red optical vortex to a blue one, for OAMs ranging $\ensuremath{-}30$ to +30+30+30. The conversion is realized in a rubidium vapor, via the $5{S}_{1/2}\ensuremath{-}5{D}_{5/2}\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}^{85}\mathrm{Rb}$ two-photon transition done with a Gaussian beam at 780nm780\phantom{\rule{4pt}{0ex}}\mathrm{nm}780nm plus a Laguerre-Gaussian beam at 776nm776\phantom{\rule{4pt}{0ex}}\mathrm{nm}776nm with the OAM $\ensuremath{\ell}$, producing a radiation at 420nm420\phantom{\rule{4pt}{0ex}}\mathrm{nm}420nm. With copropagating input beams, we demonstrate a conversion from red to blue for high-$\ensuremath{\ell}$ input vortices. We show that the output blue vortex respects the azimuthal phase matching, has a size determined by the product of the input beams, and a power decreasing with $\ensuremath{\ell}$, in agreement with their overlap. Its propagation indicates that the generated blue wave is a nearly pure Laguerre-Gaussian mode. The vortex converter thus permits a correct OAM transmission.