Poincaré sphere symmetries in four-wave mixing with orbital angular momentum

Abstract: We explore a degenerate four-wave mixing process induced by transversely structured light beams in a rubidium vapor cell. In particular, we consider the nonlinear interaction driven by optical modes contained in the orbital angular momentum Poincar\'e sphere, which can be parametrized in terms of a polar and an azimuthal angle. In this context we investigate the transfer of spatial structure to two distinct four-wave mixing signals, possessing different propagation directions in space. We show that under usual assumptions, the output fields can also be described by modes belonging to Poincar\'e spheres, and that the angles describing the input and output modes are related according to well-defined rules. Our experimental results show good agreement with the calculations, which predict intricate field structures and a transition of the FWM transverse profile between the near- and far-field regions.