Detection of Hermite-Gaussian modes in vortex beams affected by convective turbulence

Abstract

This research present an analysis of the decomposition of Laguerre-Gaussian modes into Hermite-Gaussian modes when propagating through turbulence. This effect can be clearly observed by canceling the original Laguerre-Gaussian beam with another of different topological charge. The results of the propagations of these beams through Kolmogorov turbulence phase masks were analyzed, identifying which ones achieved the decomposition. The turbulences were then decomposed into the first 15 Zernike polynomials and used as new ‘Zernike turbulences’. We show that the turbulence internal process that allows the decomposition has a high correlation with a phase distortion based on a single Zernike polynomial or a combination of them.