The eigenmodes of atmospheric turbulence

Cade Peters; Asher Klug; Andrew Forbes

doi:10.1117/12.2656982

7 April 2023 The eigenmodes of atmospheric turbulence

Cade Peters, Asher Klug, Andrew Forbes

Proceedings Volume PC12436, Complex Light and Optical Forces XVII; PC124360F (2023) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2656982
Event: SPIE OPTO, 2023, San Francisco, California, United States

Abstract

Structured light is routinely used in free-space optical communication channels, both classical and quantum, where information is encoded in the spatial structure of the mode for increased bandwidth. Unlike polarisation, the spatial structure of light is perturbed through such channels by atmospheric turbulence, and consequently, much attention has focused on whether one mode type is more robust than another, but with seemingly inconclusive and contradictory results. Both real-world and experimentally simulated turbulence conditions have revealed that free-space structured light modes are perturbed in some manner by turbulence, resulting in both amplitude and phase distortions. Here, we present complex forms of structured light which are invariant under propagation through the atmosphere: the true eigenmodes of atmospheric turbulence. We provide a theoretical procedure for obtaining these eigenmodes and confirm their invariance both numerically and experimentally.

Conference Presentation

Citation Download Citation

Cade Peters, Asher Klug, and Andrew Forbes "The eigenmodes of atmospheric turbulence", Proc. SPIE PC12436, Complex Light and Optical Forces XVII, PC124360F (7 April 2023); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2656982

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