Nodal Areas and Structured Darkness

TL;DR

This paper introduces a method to create black nodal areas of destructive interference using phase masks, demonstrated with elliptical apertures, and proposes a modified phase retrieval algorithm for arbitrary shapes, with potential applications across systems.

Contribution

It presents a novel approach to generate destructive interference nodal areas using lossless phase masks and a modified phase retrieval algorithm for arbitrary aperture shapes.

Findings

Successfully created elliptical nodal areas with a q-plate.

Developed a modified phase retrieval algorithm for arbitrary shapes.

Potential applications in optical and non-optical systems.

Abstract

Generalized beams of light that are made to turn inside out, creating black nodal areas of total destructive interference are described. As an example we experimentally created an elliptical node from a uniformly illuminated elliptical aperture by use of a lossless phase mask called a q-plate. We demonstrate how a modified phase retrieval algorithm may be used to design phase masks that achieve this transformation for an arbitrary aperture shape when analytical methods are not available. This generic wave phenomenon may find uses in both optical and non-optical systems.