Scientists have developed a novel method that dramatically enhances both the power and number of vortices, opening new avenues in advanced material processing and beyond.

Osaka, Japan - Optical vortices—light beams carrying orbital angular momentum (OAM)—are characterized by helical wavefronts and phase singularities. While they have been widely studied in recent decades, two fundamental limitations have restricted their broader impact: generating large numbers of vortices simultaneously and achieving high peak power in such configurations. Until now, large vortex arrays have been limited to low-power systems, whereas high-power demonstrations have typically involved only single vortices.

In a new paper published in Light: Science & Applications, a research team led by Professor Yoshiki Nakata at The University of Osaka reports the world’s first experimental realization of a megawatt-class large-scale optical vortex array comprising 3,070 phase-coherent vortices at a peak power of 58 megawatts. The result represents more than three orders of magnitude improvement in both vortex number and peak power compared with previous approaches.
Conventionally, Laguerre–Gaussian (LG) modes are expressed as the superposition of two Hermite–Gaussian (HG) modes with a π/2 phase shift. This constitutes the first revision of the HG–LG mode-conversion framework in three decades. The team reformulated this description into a three-mode representation that naturally integrates with multibeam interference geometry.

“The key was not only revisiting the HG–LG mode conversion theory, but translating it into a concrete optical architecture,” explains Professor Nakata. “By designing a compact DOE–SPP–4f Fourier system that physically embodies this reformulated framework, we directly connected theory with scalable interference. That optical design was what enabled both large-scale parallelization and megawatt-class peak power within a single stable configuration.”

The compact architecture consists of a diffractive optical element (DOE) that generates six coherent beams, a spiral phase plate (SPP) that imposes controlled phase shifts, and a 4f Fourier optical system that recombines the beams into a triangular vortex lattice. Because the approach relies on coherent interference rather than power-limited spatial light modulators or metasurfaces, it is inherently scalable in vortex number, wavelength, and input laser power.

To verify high-intensity functionality, the team demonstrated orbital angular momentum transfer under megawatt conditions by generating chiral nanostructures on copper surfaces. The results confirm that structured phase singularities remain robust even in high-power regimes.

Beyond the immediate demonstration, the work establishes a new design principle for scalable structured-light generation. The ability to control thousands of phase singularities simultaneously at high peak power opens opportunities for broadband chiral photonics, parallel laser processing, and high-intensity OAM-based light–matter interaction studies.

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The article, “Scalable optical vortex arrays enabled by the decomposition of Laguerre–Gaussian beams into three Hermite–Gaussian modes and multibeam interference,” was published in Light: Science & Applications at DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41377-026-02254-0

About The University of Osaka
The University of Osaka was founded in 1931 as one of the seven imperial universities of Japan and is now one of Japan's leading comprehensive universities with a broad disciplinary spectrum. This strength is coupled with a singular drive for innovation that extends throughout the scientific process, from fundamental research to the creation of applied technology with positive economic impacts. Its commitment to innovation has been recognized in Japan and around the world. Now, The University of Osaka is leveraging its role as a Designated National University Corporation selected by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology to contribute to innovation for human welfare, sustainable development of society, and social transformation.
Website: https://resou.osaka-u.ac.jp/en

Light: Science & Applications will primarily publish new research results in cutting-edge and emerging topics in optics and photonics, as well as covering traditional topics in optical engineering. The journal will publish original articles and reviews that are of high quality, high interest and far-reaching consequence.