Year: 2017
Type: article
Abstract: We show that optical beams with orbital angular momentum (OAM) can be generated even with incomplete computer generated holograms (CGHs). These holograms are made such that random portions of them do not contain any information about the beam. We observe that although the beams produced with these holograms are less intense, these beams maintain their transverse intensity profiles. The transverse intensity profiles, as well as a total intensity of the beams, are attenuated by a factor dependent only on the fraction of information retained, f. Also important is that even when f is minute, the topological charge of the beam is not affected. Our result is significant, especially since most methods used to generate beams with OAM for various applications rely on pixelated devices or optical elements with imperfections. Random dead pixels do not affect the transverse intensity and the topological charge. As an extension of our work, we show that superposition of two beams can be created using separate incomplete CGHs interspersed together. Our new method of generating superposed beams may be computationally faster because one only needs to prepare the superposed holograms from already calculated CGHs. It is advantageous for amplitude programmable devices such as a digital micromirror device.
Institution: University of the Philippines Diliman
Language: English
Subfield: Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funder: University of the Philippines
Awards: G4921809421, G7880133684
OpenAlex ID: W2521027920