We describe an experimental technique to generate a quasi-monochromatic field with any arbitrary spatial coherence properties that can be described by the cross-spectral density function, $W(mathbf{r_1,r_2})$. This is done by using a dynamic binary a
mplitude grating generated by a digital micromirror device (DMD) to rapidly alternate between a set of coherent fields, creating an incoherent mix of modes that represent the coherent mode decomposition of the desired $W(mathbf{r_1,r_2})$. This method was then demonstrated experimentally by interfering two plane waves and then spatially varying the coherent between these two modes such that the interference fringe visibility was shown to vary spatially between the two beams in an arbitrary and prescribed way.
We present a weak measurement protocol that permits a sensitive estimation of angular rotations based on the concept of weak-value amplification. The shift in the state of a pointer, in both angular position and the conjugate orbital angular momentum
bases, is used to estimate angular rotations. This is done by an amplification of both the real and imaginary parts of the weak-value of a polarization operator that has been coupled to the pointer, which is a spatial mode, via a spin-orbit coupling. Our experiment demonstrates the first realization of weak-value amplification in the azimuthal degree of freedom. We have achieved effective amplification factors as large as 100, providing a sensitivity that is on par with more complicated methods that employ quantum states of light or extremely large values of orbital angular momentum.
We describe a procedure by which a long ($gtrsim 1,mathrm{km}$) optical path through atmospheric turbulence can be experimentally simulated in a controlled fashion and scaled down to distances easily accessible in a laboratory setting. This procedure
is then used to simulate a 1-km-long free-space communication link in which information is encoded in orbital angular momentum (OAM) spatial modes. We also demonstrate that standard adaptive optics methods can be used to mitigate many of the effects of thick atmospheric turbulence.
We have experimentally studied the degradation of mode purity for light beams carrying orbital angular momentum (OAM) propagating through simulated atmospheric turbulence. The turbulence is modeled as a randomly varying phase aberration, which obeys
statistics postulated by Kolmogorov turbulence theory. We introduce this simulated turbulence through the use of a phase-only spatial light modulator. Once the turbulence is introduced, the degradation in mode quality results in cross-talk between OAM modes. We study this cross-talk in OAM for eleven modes, showing that turbulence uniformly degrades the purity of all the modes within this range, irrespective of mode number.
