Square array of optical vortices generated by multiregion spiral square zone plate

Herein, we present a so-called multiregion spiral square zone plate (MRSSZP), in which a spiral square zone plate is divided into a few regions, so that every region is composed of Fresnel zones, and the first zone of a given region is the same as the last zone of the previous region from a transmission point of view. We show that an MRSSZP can generate unique features of an array of an optical vortex with topological charge +/- 1, so that the number of vortices is directly related to the number of regions. We also demonstrate that, for an MRSSZP with topological charge 2, an array of dark cores is formed, which have phase structures similar to that of the interference of optical vortices with opposite topological charges. Besides, the focused vortex array follows a modulo-4 transmutation rule. In addition, when the topological charge becomes multiples of 4, an array of focal bright spots surrounded by a dark ring is generated. Numerical and experimental results verify the superior features of an MRSSZP. (C) 2016 Optical Society of America