Vortex sheets in optical and coherence fields

Abstract

Instead of the well-known line type of phase singularities in optical and coherence fields, we introduce a new concept of what we call Vortex Sheet into singular optics. This vortex sheet has a surface topological structure, on which the phase of the scalar optical or the coherence fields becomes undefined with zero amplitude. Some properties related to these surface topological deformations, such as optical and coherence surface flow, are investigated both theoretically and experimentally for the first time.