abstract
- © 2014 by Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.Traditionally, standard approaches to characterizing of optical beams have dealt with parameters that either characterize the beam as a whole (e.g., power, beam size, divergence angle) or describe its shape using transverse distributions (e.g., intensity pattern, polarization state, wavefront curvature). These approaches are based on immediately observable characteristics of the optical beams and have been adequate for most applications. This situation changed dramatically with the recent increased interest in beams carrying angular momentum. It has now been well established that this fundamental mechanical property of light is associated with the energy redistribution inside the beam body under propagation.