Persistence and Lifelong Fidelity of Phase Singularities in Optical Random Waves

TL;DR

This paper investigates the behavior and pairing of phase singularities in optical random waves, revealing their persistence and how they encode fundamental properties of the fields through experiments, theory, and simulations.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive study of the persistence, pairing, and lifecycle of phase singularities in random optical fields, combining experimental, theoretical, and numerical approaches.

Findings

Phase singularities can persist across different wavelengths.

Opposite charge singularities can annihilate or form pairs.

Singularity behavior encodes fundamental properties of the fields.

Abstract

Phase singularities are locations where light is twisted like a corkscrew, with positive or negative topological charge depending on the twisting direction. Among the multitude of singularities arising in random wave fields, some can be found at the same location, but only when they exhibit opposite topological charge, which results in their mutual annihilation. New pairs can be created as well. With near-field experiments supported by theory and numerical simulations, we study the persistence and pairing statistics of phase singularities in random optical fields as a function of the excitation wavelength. We demonstrate how such entities can encrypt fundamental properties of the random fields in which they arise.