3D Optical Vortex Lattices

Fresnel diffraction of light beams with a topological charge on a 2D regular amplitude transparency mask is studied. Numerical predictions show that the 3D optical lattices of optical vortices can be formed using the Talbot effect, with these predictions confirmed by the experimental reconstruction of all 3D optical vortex lattices. The periodicity of the 3D optical vortex lattices is determined by the light wavelength and periodicity of a transparency mask. Furthermore, it is shown that the optical vortices are created and annihilated during light propagation behind the mask with the preservation of the total topological charge. The 3D optical vortex lattices are considered to be tolerant to the perturbations induced by trapped particles caused by the features of the Talbot effect. The 3D optical vortex lattices open new possibilities for light–matter interactions and the related applications.