Experimental realization of scalar and vector perfect Laguerre-Gaussian beams

The generation of a perfect optical vortex (POV) has been an important area of research since the concept was introduced by Ostrovsky et al. [Opt. Lett. 38, 534 (2013)]. In this Letter, we provide the details of the experimental demonstration of a POV using perfect Laguerre-Gaussian beams via a phase-only spatial light modulator. The perfect beam properties, including radius, beam width, and ring thickness, are investigated in detail. We verify the vortex nature of the proposed perfect Laguerre-Gaussian beams including their topological charge value and sign. Finally, in addition to the scalar beams, we propose the vector perfect Laguerre-Gaussian beams both theoretically and experimentally and evaluate their perfect characteristics. The derived results clearly illustrate the perfect characteristics of such beams independent of the polarization state. The findings reported here can find significant applications in various fields including optical tweezers, optical imaging, and high capacity optical communications. Published under an exclusive license by AIP Publishing.