Non-diffractive Bessel-Gauss beams for the detection of rotating object free of obstructions

Bessel-Gauss beams carrying orbital angular momentum are widely known for their non-diffractive or self-reconstructing performance, and have been applied in lots of domains. Here we demonstrate that, by illuminating a rotating object with high-order Bessel-Gauss beams, a frequency shift proportional to the rotating speed and the topological charge is observed. Moreover, the frequency shift is still present once an obstacle exists in the path, in spite of the decreasing of received signals. Our work indicates the feasibility of detecting rotating objects free of obstructions, and has potential as obstruction-immune rotation sensors in engine monitoring, aerological sounding, and so on. (C) 2017 Optical Society of America