Young's double slit interference pattern from a twisted beam

Abstract

The interference pattern of a Laguerre Gaussian beam in a double slit experiment is reported. Whereas a typical laser beam phase front is planar, a Laguerre Gaussian beam exhibits a wave front that is twisting along the direction of propagation. This leads to a distorted interference pattern. The topological charge also called the order of the twisted beam can be then readily and simply determined. More precisely, the naked eye resolution of the distortion shift of the interference pattern directly informs about the number of twists made as well as on the sign of the twist. These results are in very good agreement with theoretical calculations that offer a general description of the double slit interference with twisted beams.