Orbital Angular Momentum Coherent State Beams

Abstract

We explore a family of paraxial beams constructed by the linear superposition of Laguerre-Gaussian beams, representing an optical analogue to generalized $SU(2)$ Lie group coherent states. A single complex parameter controls a smooth transition between Laguerre-Gaussian and Hermite-Gaussian beams, with intermediate beams that merge characteristics of both families. Our beams exhibit propagation-invariant properties, up to a scaling factor, a highly desirable feature for optical applications, validated via holographic experimental results.