Talbot effect of orbital angular momentum lattices with single photons

The self-imaging, or Talbot effect, that occurs with the propagation of periodically structured waves has enabled several unique applications in optical metrology, image processing, data transmission, and matter-wave interferometry. In this paper, we report on a demonstration of a Talbot effect with single photons prepared in a lattice of orbital angular momentum (OAM) states. We observe that upon propagation the wavefronts of the single photons manifest self-imaging whereby the OAM lattice intensity profile is recovered. Furthermore, we show that the intensity at fractional Talbot distances is indicative of a periodic helical phase structure corresponding to a lattice of OAM states. This phenomenon is a powerful addition to the toolbox of orbital angular momentum and spin-orbit techniques that have already enabled many recent developments in quantum optics.