Dynamics of vortex constellations containing radial modes

Abstract

Optical vortices and the orbital angular momentum they carry have been in the focus of research for decades. In this thesis a theoretic framework to determine the position of phase singularities of an arbitrary optical vortex is presented. Additionally, the behavior of the phase singularities upon perturbation is analyzed. Hereby, we were able to show that optical vortices containing radial modes experience vortex splitting if perturbed, similar to pure optical vortices. The obtained results are shown with the example of an optical vortex with radial mode p=1 and compared with the same example using the angular spectrum. Taking radial modes into account adds a further degree of freedom and allows us to describe more complex compositions.