Virtual source for a Laguerre–Gauss beam

A virtual source that generates a cylindrically symmetric Laguerre-Gauss wave of radial mode number n is introduced. An expression is derived for this Laguerre-Gauss wave that in the appropriate limit yields the corresponding Laguerre-Gauss beam. From the spectral representation of the Laguerre-Gauss wave, the first three orders of nonparaxial corrections for the paraxial Laguerre-Gauss beam are determined. On the beam axis, the number of orders of nonvanishing nonparaxial corrections is found to be equal to n .