Orbital Angular Momentum Coherent State Beams

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new family of propagation-invariant optical beams formed by superposing Laguerre-Gaussian modes, which can smoothly transition between Laguerre-Gaussian and Hermite-Gaussian profiles, with potential applications in optics.

Contribution

It presents a novel class of coherent state beams based on $SU(2)$ Lie group analogues, demonstrating their properties and experimental validation.

Findings

Beams exhibit propagation-invariance up to a scaling factor

A single complex parameter enables smooth transition between beam types

Experimental holography confirms theoretical predictions

Abstract

We explore a family of paraxial beams constructed by the linear superposition of Laguerre-Gaussian beams, representing an optical analogue to generalized $SU(2)$ Lie group coherent states. A single complex parameter controls a smooth transition between Laguerre-Gaussian and Hermite-Gaussian beams, with intermediate beams that merge characteristics of both families. Our beams exhibit propagation-invariant properties, up to a scaling factor, a highly desirable feature for optical applications, validated via holographic experimental results.