Light masks for atom diffraction created from twisted beams with a Gaussian intensity envelope

Abstract

We show how we can construct light masks from twisted beams with {G}aussian envelopes. These masks can be used for the diffraction of cold atoms and lead to the generation of atom vortex beams. We show that these types of masks are more efficient in the generation of twisted atom beams than the corresponding light masks created with {L}aguerre- {G}aussian beams. (C) 2018 Optical Society of America