Phase-conjugation of the isolated optical vortex using flat surfaces

The robust method for obtaining the helical interference pattern due to the phase-conjugation of an isolated optical vortex by means of the non-holographic technique is proposed. It is shown that a perfect wavefront reversal of the vortex in a linear polarization state via an even number of reflections is achievable due to the turn of the photon’s momentum p⃗≈ℏk⃗ with respect to the photon’s orbital angular momentum projection Lz. The possible experimental realization is based on cat’s eye-prism-like reflections inside the confocal optical loop cavity. The alternative scheme contains the Dove prism embedded in the optical loop with an odd number of reflections from mirrors. This confocal interferometric technique is applicable to optical tweezers, atomic traps, Sagnac laser loops, and metamaterials fabrication.