Wavefront reconstruction of an optical vortex by a Hartmann-Shack sensor

Reconstruction the phase front of a vortex laser beam is conducted by use of a Hartmann-Shack wavefront sensor. The vortex beam in the form of the Laguerre-Gaussian LG(0)(1) mode is generated with the help of a spiral phase plate. The new reconstruction technique based on measured wavefront gradients allows one to restore the singular phase surface with good accuracy, whereas the conventional least-squares approach fails. (C) 2007 Optical Society of America.