Multiplexing multiple orbital angular momentum (OAM) channels enables high-capacity optical communication. However, optical scattering from ambient microparticles in the atmosphere or mode coupling in optical fibers significantly decreases the orthogonality between OAM channels for demultiplexing and eventually increases crosstalk in communication. Here, we propose a novel scattering-matrix-assisted retrieval technique (SMART) to demultiplex OAM channels from highly scattered optical fields and achieve an experimental crosstalk of –13.8 dB in the parallel sorting of 24 OAM channels after passing through a scattering medium. The SMART is implemented in a self-built data transmission system that employs a digital micromirror device to encode OAM channels and realize reference-free calibration simultaneously, thereby enabling a high tolerance to misalignment. We successfully demonstrate high-fidelity transmission of both gray and color images under scattering conditions at an error rate of <0.08%. This technique might open the door to high-performance optical communication in turbulent environments.

多路复用多个轨道角动量（OAM）通道可实现高容量的光通信。但是，来自大气中环境微粒的光散射或光纤中的模式耦合会大大降低用于解复用的OAM通道之间的正交性，并最终增加通信中的串扰。在这里，我们提出了一种新颖的散射矩阵辅助检索技术（SMART），用于从高度散射的光场中解复用OAM通道，并在通过散射介质后，在24个OAM通道的并行排序中实现–13.8 dB的实验串扰。SMART在自建数据传输系统中实施，该系统使用数字微镜设备对OAM通道进行编码并同时实现无参考校准，从而对错位具有很高的容忍度。我们成功地证明了在散射条件下灰度图像和彩色图像的高保真度传输，错误率小于0.08％。这种技术可能会在动荡的环境中打开高性能光通信的大门。