Generation of spatiotemporal optical vortices with partial temporal coherence

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates both theoretically and experimentally that spatiotemporal optical vortices with transverse orbital angular momentum can be generated from partially coherent light sources, offering a cost-effective alternative to mode-locked lasers.

Contribution

It introduces a novel method to generate spatiotemporal optical vortices using partially coherent light, bypassing the need for mode-locked laser sources.

Findings

Partially coherent light can produce STOVs with fluctuating temporal phase.

Experimental validation confirms the theoretical predictions.

Partially coherent STOVs are a practical, cost-effective alternative to traditional sources.

Abstract

Recently, a spatiotemporal optical vortex (STOV) with a transverse orbital angular momentum (OAM) has been generated from coherent ultrafast pulses using mode-locked lasers. In contrast, we demonstrate theoretically and experimentally that a STOV can be generated from a light source with partial temporal coherence with fluctuating temporal phase. By eliminating the need of mode-locked laser sources, the partially coherent STOV will serve as a convenient and cost-effective transverse OAM source.