  Laguerre-Gaussian (LG) beams carrying orbital angular momentum (OAM) have
shown promise in deep tissue imaging, medical diagnostics, and optical
communication due to their robust propagation properties through scattering
media. However, an exact model that provides a mechanism for the enhanced
scattering properties of LG beams over Gaussian beams has not been established
till date. Here, we examine this issue by studying the propagation of polarized
vortex beams transmitted through tissue-like turbid scattering media. We
demonstrate that the intensity profile has a much more profound effect on
depolarization than the phase profile for LG beams. Our results indicate that
the observed stronger propagation for the higher order LG beams is due to a
higher anisotropy factor g as seen by the incident beam. This insight is
expected to contribute towards building a complete picture of light transport
in the presence of scattering, as well as guide optimization of the intensity
and polarization structure of light for use in biomedical applications.
