Research Projects

Optical beams with orbital angular momentum (OAM) have significantly impacted various fields, including memory, imaging, holographic displays, optical metrology, optical tweezers, fluorescence microscopy, adaptive optics, optogenetics, additive manufacturing, and laser material processing. Ultrashort pulses with OAM offer ultrafast resolution and have applications in optical machining, nonlinear optics, strong-field physics, classical and quantum information science, and optical tweezers. OAM-multiplexing-based communication has been demonstrated in extreme circumstances, such as high-dimensional quantum communication, underwater communication, and long haul fibre communication. This proposal aims to investigate the propagation dynamics of ultra-short pulses with OAM in highly dispersive and nonlinear media, as well as the role of polarization singularity on the maximum OAM carrying capacity of a pulse. The study will also examine the propagation dynamics of differently shaped vortex beams in turbulent media. Experimental methods include spatial beam shaping using a spatial light modulator, and a combination of a CCD camera, energy meter, and spectrometer to profile the output beam. Understanding the underlying physics of beam propagation and its interaction with different optical media is crucial.