Observation of the polarization dependence of the orbital angular momentum of light

Abstract We observe the polarization dependence of optical vortex states. We perform both a laser source and a light-emitting diode. The orbital angular momentum (OAM) state can be chosen with the initial polarization of light. We demonstrated the idea with the OAM states with ℓ = + 1, + 2 and +3. A doughnut shape of the vortex with dark stripes in the middle provides information on the charge and sign of the vortex beam, where the number of dark stripes gives the order of the OAM state, and its angle is related to the initial polarization angle rotation. We used a common linear polarizer to explore this effect. Our fundamental study reveals how the OAM state can be controlled by the polarization of light from this vortex beam. A polarization rotation sensor can be used to take advantage of this work.