Analysis on the characteristics of vortex beam in field turbulence

Abstract In this study, we have investigated the propagation characteristics of single-mode Laguerre–Gaussian (LG) beams under field atmospheric turbulence conditions. We constructed a 1200 meter experimental platform for representing vortex beams in the field. Accordingly, we analyzed the spot changes in an LG beam after transmitted through atmospheric turbulence. Based on the principle of Fresnel diffraction and the random phase screen method, we studied the evolution and spiral spectrum distribution of low-order LG beams transmitted by atmospheric turbulence by numerical simulation. Moreover, we carried out an experimental study regarding the LG beam propagation characteristics mainly based on field experiments. The experimental results indicate that after near-surface turbulent propagation, the LG beam gradually spreads, degree of phase singularity drift becomes larger, and spot size of the Gaussian beam grows faster than that of the LG beam with greater propagation distances. Finally, we concluded that LG beams are not significantly affected by turbulence. It also lays a foundation for the experimental study of vortex beam detection and wavefront correction at the receiving end in multiplexing communication.