Realization of Beam Steering Based on Plane Spiral Orbital Angular Momentum Wave

A new form of plane spiral orbital angular momentum (PS-OAM) carrying wave with the spiral harmonics of exp(-jlφ) as a complete set of eigenmodes is proposed to realize beam steering. Such a wave possesses the fundamental characteristics of an OAM-carrying wave, i.e., a spiral phase distribution, yet propagates along transverse directions. Hence, it owes unique advantages for use in realizing desired radiation beams, while avoids the puzzles encountered by traditional OAM-carrying beams. Various OAM mode grouping using the superposition of PS-OAM waves are demonstrated here via theoretical calculations as well as experimental verifications. The generation methods for PS-OAM waves are also proposed and experimentally validated to authenticate the feasibility. Both the calculated and experimental results show that the PS-OAM grouping is capable of providing a practical realization of eigenmode beamforming.