Acoustooptic operation of optical vortex beams

Using acoustooptic (AO) cells based on TeO2 crystal and silica glass, we have experimentally shown for the first time that the intensity profile and the phase structure of the vortex beam are preserved under AO Bragg diffraction. As a result, the vortex beam can be deflected due to AO diffraction, whereas the acoustooptically operated vortex beams can be efficiently used in such novel branches of optical technology as optical trapping and controlled addressing of the beams with different orbital angular momentums.