Detecting the topological charge of vortex beams using an annular triangle aperture

Abstract

The Fraunhofer diffraction pattern of a vortex beam by an annular triangle aperture is analyzed theoretically and experimentally. It is found that the pattern of the far-field diffraction intensity distribution exhibits a triangular lattice array, which becomes much clearer with the increase of the ratio of the inner to the outer side of the annular triangle aperture. The number of spot points of any external side of the triangular lattice array minus one is just equal to the topological charge value of the measured optical vortex. For the vortex beam with negative topological charge, the triangular diffraction pattern after the annular triangle aperture will be rotated by 180° in relation to the case of the positive topological charge. Based on the above properties, we propose a simple and feasible method to determine the magnitude and sign of the topological charge of an optical vortex beam.