Spatiotemporal optical vortices with controllable radial and azimuthal quantum numbers

Abstract Optical spatiotemporal vortices with transverse photon orbital angular momentum (OAM) have recently become a focal point of research. In this work we theoretically and experimentally investigate optical spatiotemporal vortices with radial and azimuthal quantum numbers, known as spatiotemporal Laguerre-Gaussian (STLG) wavepackets. These 3D wavepackets exhibit phase singularities and cylinder-shaped edge dislocations, resulting in a multi-ring topology in its spatiotemporal profile. Unlike conventional ST optical vortices, STLG wavepackets with non-zero $${{{{{\boldsymbol{p}}}}}}$$ p and $${{{{{\boldsymbol{l}}}}}}$$ l values carry a composite transverse OAM consisting of two directionally opposite components. We further demonstrate mode conversion between an STLG wavepacket and an ST Hermite-Gaussian (STHG) wavepacket through the application of strong spatiotemporal astigmatism. The converted STHG wavepacket is de-coupled in intensity in space-time domain that can be utilized to implement the efficient and accurate recognition of ultrafast STLG wavepackets carried various $${{{{{\boldsymbol{p}}}}}}$$ p and $${{{{{\boldsymbol{l}}}}}}.$$ l . This study may offer new insights into high-dimensional quantum information, photonic topology, and nonlinear optics, while promising potential applications in other wave phenomena such as acoustics and electron waves.