Spiral light beams

TLDR

Several properties of spiral beams are of practical interest for laser technologies, medicine, and microbiology. The study addresses synthesizing spiral beams whose intensity distribution follows an arbitrary planar curve. The authors describe a family of spiral laser beams whose intensity remains invariant up to scale and rotation during propagation, and investigate methods to synthesize such beams. Theoretical and experimental results demonstrate that spiral beams retain their intensity structure during propagation and focusing, and that lasers can directly generate beams with desired properties without additional unconventional optics.

Abstract

This paper discusses theoretical and experimental results of the investigation of light beams that retain their intensity strusture during propagation and focusing. We describe a family of laser beams termed spiral whose intensity remains invariable, up to scale and rotation, during propagation. Several properties of spiral beams are of practical interest for laser technologies, medicine, and microbiology. The problem of synthesis of spiral beams with the intensity distribution given by an arbitrary planar curve is considered. We emphasize the feasibility, in principle, of making lasers that directly generate beams with desired properties without additional unconventional optics.