Encoding and Multiplexing of 2D Images with Orbital Angular Momentum Beams and the Use for Multiview Color Displays

Abstract

The orthogonal nature of different orbital angular momentum modes enables information transmission in optical communications with increased bandwidth through mode division multiplexing. So far the related works have been focused on using orbital angular momentum modes to encode/decode and multiplex point-based on-axis signals for maximum data channel numbers and capacity. Whether orbital angular momentum modes can be utilized to encode/decode off-axis signals for multiplexing in two-dimensional space is of significant importance both fundamentally and practically for its enormous potential in increasing the channel information capacity. In this work, a direct use of orbital angular momentum modes to encode/decode and multiplex two-dimensional images is realized in a scalable multiview display architecture, which can be utilized for viewing three-dimensional images from different angles. The effect of off-axis encoding/decoding and the resultant crosstalk between multiplexed different two-dimensional views are studied. Based on which, a color display of good image quality with four independent views is demonstrated. The resolution of the decoded images is analyzed and the limitation of this approach discussed. Moreover, a spatially multiplexed data communication scheme is also proposed with such a two-dimensional encoding/decoding approach to significantly enhance the data transmission capacity in free space for future data communication needs.