Bored helical phases: Intensity profiles and propagation

Abstract

We have developed a unique beam based on the helical phase of an optical vortex. We modify the helical phase by boring a hole at its center. We observe from simulations that upon varying the cavity radius, the intensity profile of the beams changes from beams with intense arms to beams resembling hollow beams. We also notice that the beams rotate around its optical axis and its rotation is a function of the topological charge of the helical phase and the cavity radius. We experimentally verified the intensity profile of our new phase via reconstruction of computer-generated holograms.