| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 733695 | Optics & Laser Technology | 2013 | 7 Pages |
The propagation of an optical vortex beam through a diamond-shaped aperture is studied both numerically and experimentally. It is found that the diffraction pattern of the vortex beam through the diamond-shaped aperture is related with the topological charge m of the incident optical vortex beam. Thus, the magnitude of the vortex can be measured by using this method. A higher-order optical vortex (|m|>1) is topologically unstable and splits into |m| vortices with unit charge in the diffraction field, which deviate from the optical axis with a distance. The distance increases upon propagation. The theoretical predictions are confirmed by our experiments.
► The propagation of a vortex beam through a diamond-shaped aperture is studied both numerically and experimentally. ► The diffraction pattern is related with the topological charge m of the incident beam. ► The magnitude of the vortex can be measured by using this method. ► A higher-order vortex is topologically unstable and splits into |m| vortices with unit charge. ► The theoretical predictions are confirmed by our experiments.
