Chapter 3 Generation of dark hollow beams and their applications

Abstract

This chapter discusses the applications of generation of dark hollow beams. A light beam with a ring-shaped intensity distribution is a “dark hollow beam (DHB)”. Such light beams possess both spin and orbital angular momentum and are described in terms of superposition of Laguerre-Gaussian beam (LGB) modes. DHBs are characterized by some practical parameters, such as the dark spot size (DSS), the beam width ( W DHB ), the beam radius ( r 0 ), the ringbeam width ( W r ), and the width-radius ratio (WRR). The chapter characterizes the DHBs and their physical parameters. The chapter describes various experimental schemes for DHB generation. The chapter reviews the methods and basic principles for generating DHBs and discusses the classifications of DHBs and their areas of applicability. The chapter reviews the applications of DHBs in modem optics, atom optics, and coherent matter-wave optics. The chapter also explains the current stage of DHB research and presents a perspective outlook for future studies and applications of DHBs.