Radial modal transitions of Laguerre-Gauss modes during parametric up-conversion: Towards the full-field selection rule of spatial modes

Abstract

Optical orbital angular momentum transformation and corresponding azimuthal-mode selection rules have been studied exhaustively for various nonlinear optical interactions. However, nonlinear transformation of the radial mode has not been systematically studied since the pioneering work [Phys. Rev. A 56, 4193 (1997)]. In this paper, we theoretically study and experimentally verify the radial modal transitions of Laguerre-Gauss (LG) modes in parametric up-conversion. Specifically, we provide a general solution that describes the sum-frequency generation (SFG) field excited by two arbitrary LG modes. Based on the solution, one can predict the full spatial complex amplitude of SFG fields upon propagation precisely and readily obtain the associated full-field selection rule including both azimuthal and radial modes. This paper provides a theoretical basis for quantum and nonlinear optical research involving parametric up-conversion of complex structured light and paves the way for future work on full-field transformation of spatial modes in other nonlinear interactions.