Gouy phase-assisted Zeno effect for protecting light structure in random media

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that the Gouy phase-assisted Zeno effect can protect the integrity of orbital angular momentum modes in structured light during propagation through random media, enhancing communication robustness.

Contribution

It introduces a novel mechanism combining Gouy phase and Zeno effect to safeguard structured light modes, specifically OAM, against degradation in random environments.

Findings

Gouy phase kicks induce the optical Zeno effect in OAM modes.

The mechanism prevents mode cross-talk and spectral broadening.

Applicable to various structured light modes beyond OAM.

Abstract

Identifying physical mechanisms that protect the information carried by various forms of structured light is one of the cornerstones of today's classical and quantum communications. Here we show that the purity of orbital angular momentum (OAM) modes can be protected against degradation in random media by leveraging two fundamental features of their own Schr\"odinger Hamiltonian dynamics, namely, Zeno effect -- frequent observations slow down the evolution -- , and Gouy phase -- the back-action of the observation. Repeated, OAM-dependent Gouy phase kicks imparted along the disturbing path by simple imaging systems trigger the optical Zeno effect that protects the input OAM mode against mode cross-talk that would broaden the OAM spectrum. Given the universality of the mechanism, the Gouy phase-assisted Zeno effect would protect propagation modes other than those of OAM, and the diverse forms of structured light built with them.