Megawatt structured light arrives with 3,070 optical vortices in one array

Optical vortices-light beams carrying orbital angular momentum (OAM)-are characterized by helical wavefronts and phase singularities. While they have been widely studied in recent decades, two fundamental limitations have restricted their broader impact: generating large numbers of vortices simultaneously and achieving high peak power in such configurations. Until now, large vortex arrays have been limited to low-power systems, whereas high-power demonstrations have typically involved only singl...