Light-induced matter vortex transitions

Abstract

Optical vortices have attracted attention due to their intrinsic characteristics and potential applications, which span from telecommunication in free space and image analysis to manipulating small particles. Optical valves and liquid crystal cells have been fundamental in generating optical vortex beams. The theoretical description predicts the existence of different Rayleigh and standard vortices. Based on two different experiments, we investigate the transition between these vortices. When the effect of topological forcing is dominant, the bifurcation diagram between these vortices has been characterized through both experimental and numerical means. The numerical and experimental findings present qualitative agreement.