On the cancellation of OAM beams propagating through convective turbulence.

Abstract

By means of an experimental setup, we study the time evolution of orbital angular momentum (OAM) crosstalk after a 5 m propagation path with a turbulence perturbation generated by a flat heater. This convective turbulence could simulate the beam passing over hot concrete or building roofs. We study the consequences of using a wide range of transmission OAM states. We also explore the effect of misalignment, and we propose two new different techniques for analyzing the vortex cancellation. Even though results are inconsistent with theoretical predictions, especially for low turbulence regimes, we state that signal-to-noise ratio is the key factor to understanding this discrepancy. Finally, a crosstalk correction method is proposed via image post-processing that would open the possibility of an adaptive optics approach that is different from conventional ones.