Propagation of optical vortices in a nonlinear atomic medium with a photonic band gap.

We experimentally generate a vortex beam through a four-wave mixing (FWM) process after satisfying the phase-matching condition in a rubidium atomic vapor cell with a photonic band gap (PBG) structure. The observed FWM vortex can also be viewed as the reflected part of the launched probe vortex from the PBG. Further, we investigate the propagation behaviors, including the spatial shift and splitting of the probe and FWM vortices in the medium with enhanced Kerr nonlinearity induced by electromagnetically induced transparency. This Letter can be useful for better understanding and manipulating the applications involving the interactions between optical vortices and the medium.