"This book explores one of the most exciting and promising areas of modern optics, which deals with optical beams in which energy propagates in space along a spiral path. Vortex laser beams are an "optical tornado" that causes energy to propagate in space on a spiral, producing a "black spot" devoid of light in the center. The book presents how optical vortices have been used in many practical applications includingconventional and quantum wireless communications, micromanipulation, optical measurements with super-resolution, spiral interferometry, microscopy, and atom cooling."--Publisher's description.Abstract: "This book explores one of the most exciting and promising areas of modern optics, which deals with optical beams in which energy propagates in space along a spiral path. Vortex laser beams are an "optical tornado" that causes energy to propagate in space on a spiral, producing a "black spot" devoid of light in the center. The book presents how optical vortices have been used in many practical applications including conventional and quantum wireless communications, micromanipulation, optical measurements with super-resolution, spiral interferometry, microscopy, and atom cooling."--Publisher's description