We employ an optical vortex beam for the generation of femtosecond supercontinuum in a solid state medium. We demonstrate that the continuum generation process is initiated by the filamentation of the vortex, resulting in a spatially divergent continuum. Despite the strong self-focusing and the formation of multiple hot-spots along the vortex ring, the singularity is preserved in both the near- and far-fields.

© 2010 Optical Society of America

1. J. M. Dudley, G. Genty, and S. Coen, “Supercontinuum generation in photonic crystal fiber,” Rev. Mod. Phys. 78, 1135–1184 (2006). [CrossRef]
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4. H. I. Sztul, V. Kartazayev, and R. R. Alfano, “Laguerre-Gaussian supercontinuum,” Opt. Lett. 31, 2725–2727 (2006). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
5. D. G. Grier, “A revolution in optical manipulation,” Nature 424, 810–816 (2003). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
6. G. Foo, D. M. Palacios, and G. A. Swartzlander, Jr., “Optical vortex coronagraph,” Opt. Lett. 30, 3308–3310 (2005). [CrossRef]
7. S. Furhapter, A. Jesacher, S. Bernet, and M. Ritsch Marte, “Spiral interferometry,” Opt. Lett. 30, 1953–1955 (2005). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
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9. T. F. Scott, B. A. Kowalski, A. C. Sullivan, C. N. Bowman, and R. R. McLeod, “Two-color single-photon photoinitiation and photoinhibition for subdiffraction photolithography,” Science 324, 913–917 (2009). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
10. A. V. Gorbach, and D. V. Skryabin, “Cascaded generation of multiply charged optical vortices and spatiotemporal helical beams in a raman medium,” Phys. Rev. Lett. 98, 243601 (2007). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
11. A. Berzanskis, A. Matijosius, A. Piskarskas, V. Smilgevicius, and A. Stabinis, “Conversion of topological charge of optical vortices in a parametric frequency converter,” Opt. Commun. 140, 273–276 (1997). [CrossRef]
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13. V. Tikhonenko, J. Christou, and B. Luther-Daves, “Spiraling bright spatial solitons formed by the breakup of an optical vortex in a saturable self-focusing medium,” J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 12, 2046–2052 (1995). [CrossRef]
14. L. T. Vuong, T. D. Grow, A. Ishaaya, A. L. Gaeta, G. W. ’t Hooft, E. R. Eliel, and G. Fibich, “Collapse of optical vortices,” Phys. Rev. Lett. 96, 13390 (2006). [CrossRef]
15. A. Brodeour, and S. L. Chin, “Ultrafast white-light continuum generation and self-focusing in transparent condensed media,” J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 16, 637–650 (1999). [CrossRef]
16. A. Vinçotte, and L. Bergé, “Femtosecond optical vortices in air,” Phys. Rev. Lett. 95, 193901 (2005). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
17. I. Buchvarov, A. Trifonov, and T. Fiebig, “Toward an understanding of white-light generation in cubic media-polarization properties across the entire spectral range,” Opt. Lett. 32, 1539–1541 (2007). [CrossRef] [PubMed]

J. Opt. Soc. Am. B

• V. Tikhonenko, J. Christou, and B. Luther-Daves, “Spiraling bright spatial solitons formed by the breakup of an optical vortex in a saturable self-focusing medium,” J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 12, 2046–2052 (1995). [CrossRef]
• A. Brodeour, and S. L. Chin, “Ultrafast white-light continuum generation and self-focusing in transparent condensed media,” J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 16, 637–650 (1999). [CrossRef]

Nat. Phys.

• G. Molina Terriza, J. P. Torres, and L. Torner, “Twisted photons,” Nat. Phys. 3, 305–310 (2007). [CrossRef]

Nature

• D. G. Grier, “A revolution in optical manipulation,” Nature 424, 810–816 (2003). [CrossRef] [PubMed]

Opt. Commun.

• A. Berzanskis, A. Matijosius, A. Piskarskas, V. Smilgevicius, and A. Stabinis, “Conversion of topological charge of optical vortices in a parametric frequency converter,” Opt. Commun. 140, 273–276 (1997). [CrossRef]

Opt. Lett.

• I. Buchvarov, A. Trifonov, and T. Fiebig, “Toward an understanding of white-light generation in cubic media-polarization properties across the entire spectral range,” Opt. Lett. 32, 1539–1541 (2007). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
• G. Foo, D. M. Palacios, and G. A. Swartzlander, Jr., “Optical vortex coronagraph,” Opt. Lett. 30, 3308–3310 (2005). [CrossRef]
• S. Furhapter, A. Jesacher, S. Bernet, and M. Ritsch Marte, “Spiral interferometry,” Opt. Lett. 30, 1953–1955 (2005). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
• M. Bellini, and T. W. Hänsch, “Phase-locked white-light continuum pulses: toward a universal optical frequency comb synthesizer,” Opt. Lett. 25, 1049–1051 (2000). [CrossRef]
• H. I. Sztul, V. Kartazayev, and R. R. Alfano, “Laguerre-Gaussian supercontinuum,” Opt. Lett. 31, 2725–2727 (2006). [CrossRef] [PubMed]

Phys. Rev. Lett.

• R. R. Alfano, and S. L. Shapiro, “Emission in the region 4000 to 7000 °A via four-photon coupling in glass,” Phys. Rev. Lett. 24, 584–587 (1970). [CrossRef]
• A. V. Gorbach, and D. V. Skryabin, “Cascaded generation of multiply charged optical vortices and spatiotemporal helical beams in a raman medium,” Phys. Rev. Lett. 98, 243601 (2007). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
• A. Vinçotte, and L. Bergé, “Femtosecond optical vortices in air,” Phys. Rev. Lett. 95, 193901 (2005). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
• W. J. Firth, and D. V. Skryabin, “Optical solitons carrying orbital angular momentum,” Phys. Rev. Lett. 79, 2450–2453 (1997). [CrossRef]
• L. T. Vuong, T. D. Grow, A. Ishaaya, A. L. Gaeta, G. W. ’t Hooft, E. R. Eliel, and G. Fibich, “Collapse of optical vortices,” Phys. Rev. Lett. 96, 13390 (2006). [CrossRef]

Rev. Mod. Phys.

• J. M. Dudley, G. Genty, and S. Coen, “Supercontinuum generation in photonic crystal fiber,” Rev. Mod. Phys. 78, 1135–1184 (2006). [CrossRef]

Science

• T. F. Scott, B. A. Kowalski, A. C. Sullivan, C. N. Bowman, and R. R. McLeod, “Two-color single-photon photoinitiation and photoinhibition for subdiffraction photolithography,” Science 324, 913–917 (2009). [CrossRef] [PubMed]

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