The transformation of an edge dislocation in atmospheric turbulence

The explicit expression for the cross-spectral density of partially coherent elliptical Gaussian beams carrying an edge dislocation propagating through atmospheric turbulence along a slant path is derived, and used to study the transformation of the edge dislocation in atmospheric turbulence. We find that the edge dislocation disappears and transforms to a noncanonical coherence vortex, when partially coherent elliptical Gaussian beams with edge dislocation propagate through atmospheric turbulence. The inversion of the topological charge of the coherence vortex may take place. The ellipticity of the beam and slope of the edge dislocation play a dominant role in the evolution of the coherence vortex. In the coherent limit the coherence vortex in turbulence becomes an intensity vortex, however, differing from the case in free-space propagation, the position of the intensity vortex depends on the choice of the reference point. The results are illustrated analytically and numerically.