Hollow vortex Gaussian beam expressed in terms of cylindrical wave

Abstract

The electrical field of hollow vortex Gaussian beam (HVGB) with an arbitrary combination of the beam order and topological charge is formulated by using the cylindrical wave spectrum representation (CWSR), which satisfies Maxwell’s equations rigorously and allows to study analytically and numerically the evolution of the beam along its propagation in the source region and the near/far- field regions. It is found that in the source region there exists a sharp and very narrow peak, due to the contribution of evanescent waves when the beam order and the topological charge satisfy specific relations. The effect of the spiral phase plate (SPP) in generating a non-vortex Gaussian beam to a vortex one is explained. Besides, it is found that the divergence of the beam is mainly determined by the topological charge and the hollow structure is mainly determined by the beam order.