On the properties of circular beams: normalization, Laguerre-Gauss expansion, and free-space divergence.

Circular beams were introduced as a very general solution to the paraxial wave equation carrying orbital angular momentum. Here, we study their properties by looking at their normalization and their expansion in terms of Laguerre-Gauss modes. We also study their far-field divergence and, for particular cases of the beam parameters, their possible experimental generation.