Investigation on the scintillation reduction of elliptical vortex beams propagating in atmospheric turbulence.

We numerically investigate the scintillation index of an elliptical vortex beam in both modest turbulence and strong turbulence. Numerical simulations are realized with random phase screen scheme. It is shown that the on-axis scintillation index can be effectively reduced by an elliptical vortex beam if crucial parameters are properly chosen. The mechanisms of scintillation reduction in turbulence of different strengths are different. We find that the topological charge and the ratio of minor axis to major axis of an elliptical vortex beam are important in determining the on-axis scintillation index. Our simulation results indicate that using an elliptical vortex beam is a promising strategy to alleviate atmospheric influence on free space optical communication link.