Beam-spreading and topological charge of vortex beams propagating in a turbulent atmosphere

We theoretically and experimentally investigate the beam-spreading of a vortex beam propagating in a turbulent atmosphere. It is found that the vortex beam is less affected by turbulence than a non-vortex one. The topological charge of the vortex beam on propagation has also been investigated experimentally. It is shown that the topological charge of vortex beam will exhibit fluctuating behavior as the beam propagates through a turbulent atmosphere.