Topology and Polarization of Optical Vortex Fields from Atomic Phased Arrays

TL;DR

This paper presents a theoretical framework for generating optical vortex fields using atomic phased arrays, analyzing their topology, polarization, and the minimum array size needed for specific vortex charges.

Contribution

It introduces a formalism for optical vortex generation with atomic arrays, including vector vortices and polarization properties, advancing understanding of structured light.

Findings

Determined the minimum number of atoms needed for specific vortex topological charges.

Analyzed the polarization structure near phase singularities, independent of source distance.

Developed a formalism applicable to vector vortex fields considering spin and orbital angular momentum.

Abstract

We developed theoretical formalism for generation of optical vortices by phased arrays of atoms. Using Jacobi-Anger expansion, we demonstrate the resulting field topology and determine the least number of array elements necessary for generation of vortices with a given topological charge. Vector vortices were considered, taking into account both spin and orbital angular momenta of electromagnetic fields. It was found that for the vortex field near the phase singularity, the transverse-position dependence of 3D polarization parameters is independent of the distance to the radiation source.