title: Vortex beam propagation through atmospheric turbulence and topological charge conservation.
abstract: The propagation of vortex beams through weak-to-strong atmospheric turbulence is simulated and analyzed. It is demonstrated that the topological charge of such a beam is a robust quantity that could be used as an information carrier in optical communications. The advantages and limitations of such an approach are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Optical Science, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA. gjgbur@uncc.edu
authors.forename: Greg
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gbur
authors.forename: Robert K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Tyson