Illustration of OAM Modes (IMAGE) University of Pennsylvania Caption Vortex lasers are named for the way light spirals around their axis of travel, thanks to a property known as orbital angular momentum, or OAM. Different OAM modes correspond to the direction and spacing of those spirals, and given a sensitive enough laser and detector, could be another property in which information could be transmitted. Credit University of Pennsylvania Usage Restrictions None License Licensed content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.