Spatial filtering is a commonly deployed technique to improve the quality of laser beams by optically filtering the noise. In the “textbook” example, the noise is usually assumed to be high frequency and the laser beam, Gaussian. In this case, the filtering is achieved by a simple pinhole placed at the common focal plane of two lenses. Here, we explain how to generalize the concept of spatial filtering to arbitrary beam profiles: spatial filtering of structured light. We show how to construct the spatial filters using a range of structured light examples and highlight under what conditions spatial filtering works. In the process, we address some misconceptions in the community as to how and when spatial filters can be applied, extend the concept of spatial filtering to arbitrary beam types, and provide a theoretical and experimental framework for further study at both the undergraduate and graduate level.
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December 2020
PAPERS|
December 01 2020
Spatial filtering of structured light
Jonathan Pinnell;
Jonathan Pinnell
School of Physics, University of the Witwatersrand
, Private Bag 3, Johannesburg 2050, South Africa
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Asher Klug;
Asher Klug
School of Physics, University of the Witwatersrand
, Private Bag 3, Johannesburg 2050, South Africa
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Andrew Forbes
Andrew Forbes
a)
School of Physics, University of the Witwatersrand
, Private Bag 3, Johannesburg 2050, South Africa
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a)
Electronic mail: [email protected]
Am. J. Phys. 88, 1123–1131 (2020)
Article history
Received:
May 18 2020
Accepted:
August 16 2020
Citation
Jonathan Pinnell, Asher Klug, Andrew Forbes; Spatial filtering of structured light. Am. J. Phys. 1 December 2020; 88 (12): 1123–1131. https://doi.org/10.1119/10.0001881
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