Arithmetic with spatiotemporal optical vortex of integer and fractional topological charges

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel optical information-processing pipeline that performs addition and subtraction on spatiotemporal topological charges, including fractional values, enabling advanced optical computing and communication capabilities.

Contribution

It presents the first method for arithmetic operations on spatiotemporal topological charges of light, including fractional charges, with a new spectral analysis readout technique.

Findings

Demonstrated optical addition and subtraction of ST-TC values

Established a spectral analysis method for operation readout

Enabled potential for optical bosonic state computation

Abstract

Spatiotemporal optical vortices carry transverse orbital angular momentum (t-OAM), which give rise to spatiotemporal topological charge (ST-TC). To unleash the full potential of t-OAM in expanding the capacity of communication and computing, we demonstrate the first optical information-processing pipeline capable of performing addition and subtraction on ST-TC values, regardless of whether they are integer or fractional. Additionally, we established a readout method for those mathematical operations through imaging spectral analysis, providing a robust optical basis toward arithmetic operations and verification. These new capabilities mark crucial advancements toward full arithmetic operations on the ST-TC of light for bosonic state computation and information processing.