Noncanonical vortex transformation and propagation in a two-dimensional optical system.

We produced an axial and canonical optical vortex by using a computer-generated hologram and then converted it to a noncanonical vortex by passing it through a cylindrical lens. We conducted an experimental study of the shape and trajectory of the noncanonical vortex as it propagates in free space and obtained an analytical expression explaining our experimental results. The computed trajectory and shape of the noncanonical vortex agree quite well with our experimental results.