In my second Optics Rotation project I would like to do the following things:

1.) Convert Hermite-Gaussian beams from a HeNe-Laser ����� into Laguerre-Gaussian modes The way to do this is beautifully described on the page by Alex Ellis:������ Alex's Web Report Look at my first Laguerre-Gaussian beams 2.) Build an interferometer where the Laguerre-Gaussian beam interferes with a plane-wave reference beam The result should look like this picture taken by E. Galvez at Colgate University 3.) If there is still time I�d like to build an �Orbital Angular Momentum Sorter� like it has been recently introduced by J. Leach et al in ����� Physical Review Letters� (Phys. Rev. Let. 88, art. 257901, June 2002) ����� ����� By introducing two dove prisms at different ����� orientations in different arms of an interferometer it ����� is possible to build a �two channel interferometer� ����� where there is only a signal in one of the two channels. ����� In which one you can see the signal depends on the ����� angular momentum of the initial beam Let�s see what I can manage to do!