A picture is worth a thousand words; and in a very real sense, images encoded in the profile of a laser provide a highly efficient method to encrypt and convey information. Light profiles that carry orbital angular momentum (OAM) present a particular set of complex images, with advanced generation and detection technology already in place – even for single photons. In this PhD project – funded by the Leverhulme Trust and in collaboration with the University of Glasgow – you will demonstrate storage and processing of OAM information in a rubidium vapour. You will support shifts between differently coloured images and build a dynamically controlled OAM light laser – elements required for a true OAM quantum network.

G. Walker, A.S. Arnold and S. Franke-Arnold, Phys. Rev. Lett. 108, 243601 (2012).