Stable propagation of Ince–Gaussian vector beams through atmospheric turbulence

In this paper, we investigate the propagation properties of the Ince–Gaussian​ vector beams through atmospheric turbulence. For this type of generalized fundamental vector beams, the spatial structures of intensity and polarization are demonstrated to have the stability of transmission over kilometers. Analysis of scintillation index and spot centroid drift also supports this view. The von Kármán type index power spectrum and the resulting random phase screens are used to simulate the atmospheric turbulence model. Owing to the strong quantum-like correlation between polarization and the spatial components, the Ince–Gaussian vector beams exhibit stable photon entanglement and high inseparability. In particular, the increasing complexity of light field structure will enhance this stability of structure transmission. Higher-order Ince–Gaussian vector beams have the longer decoherence time and longer identified distance. The fourth-order Ince–Gaussian vector beams have stronger transmission stability than the third-order Ince–Gaussian vector beams. Our work contributes to the understanding of the stable propagation of the vectorial structured light and improves imaging and free-space optical communication in perturbing media.