Seeing infrared optical vortex arrays with a nonlinear spiral phase filter

We demonstrate a new method to detect infrared optical vortex arrays efficiently, which is based on simultaneous up-conversion imaging and spiral phase contrast via second-harmonic generation (SHG) in the Fourier domain. In our experiment, we use a spatial light modulator to prepare a variety of 1064 nm structured vortex arrays and employ a vortex phase plate of different topological charges to serve as the nonlinear orbital angular momentum (OAM) filter. The SHG is done by mixing the Fourier spectra of input-structured vortices with a single OAM beam in a type-II potassium titanyl phosphate crystal. Then we can convert the input invisible vortex arrays into the visible SHG light fields, and the vortex cores are mapped and seen by bright Gaussian spots, revealing both their positions and topological charges. Our work has potential in the field of infrared imaging and monitoring. (C) 2019 Optical Society of America