Propagation of partially coherent radial-phase-modulated vortex beams in anisotropic atmospheric turbulence

Abstract This study explores the propagation characteristics of partially coherent radial-phase-modulated vortex (PCRPMV) beams in anisotropic atmospheric turbulence to improve the reliability of wireless optical communication systems. An explicit theoretical derivation of the cross-spectral density (CSD) function for such beams propagating through anisotropic turbulence is presented. Results show that the self-focusing behavior of PCRPMV beams can be precisely controlled through radial-phase-modulation parameters. Compared to fully-coherent vortex beams, partially coherent counterparts demonstrate superior stability in orbital angular momentum (OAM) signal propagation. Additionally, partial coherence effectively mitigates turbulence-induced beam disorder. Our findings demonstrate that the combined effects of radial-phase-modulation and partial coherence significantly enhance both the robustness of OAM signals and transmission efficiency, suggesting PCRPMV beams’ potential for turbulent free-space optical communication systems.