The capability to increase the robustness to scattering has become a crucial request for communication protocols and imaging systems. Here we perform a complete analysis regarding the spatial features and the polarization of structured beams propagating in different scattering media. We observe different behaviors for structured light scattered by a solution of polystyrene latex beads in water and by tissue-mimicking phantom. The reported study can help in establishing a framework for the application of structured light illumination in imaging and diagnostic.
Scattering phenomena affect light propagation through any kind of medium from free space to biological tissues. Finding appropriate strategies to increase the robustness to scattering is the common requirement in developing both communication protocols and imaging systems. Recently, structured light has attracted attention due to its seeming scattering resistance in terms of transmissivity and spatial behavior. Moreover, correlation between optical polarization and orbital angular momentum (OAM), which characterizes the so-called vector vortex beam (VVB) states, seems to allow for the preservation of the polarization pattern. We extend the analysis by investigating both the spatial features and the polarization structure of vectorial optical vortexes propagating in scattering media with different concentrations. Among the observed features, we find a sudden swift decrease in contrast ratio for Gaussian, OAM, and VVB modes for concentrations of the adopted scattering media exceeding 0.09%. Our analysis provides a more general and complete study on the propagation of structured light in dispersive and scattering media.
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