Tailoring diffraction of light carrying orbital angular momenta

Abstract

A unified approach to controlling the diffraction of light carrying orbital angular momenta (OAM) is developed and experimentally verified in this Letter. This approach allows one to specify not only the number of diffraction maxima, their spatial frequencies, and the intensity distribution between them, but also the OAM in each maximum. It is verified that the approach can be used for structuring both single and multiple beams carrying OAMs. Simulations reveal phase singularities in structured beams. In addition, the approach makes it possible to shape the light in regular and irregular two-dimensional arrays with addressing the OAMs at each site. This approach offers new opportunities for singular optics.