奇点光束包括基于相位奇点的轨道角动量(OAM)光束和基于偏振奇点的柱矢量光束(CVB)。OAM光束和CVB都具有正交性，可以作为空分复用的模式应用于光通信中，为光束复用提供一个新的自由度，大幅度地提高光通信系统的容量，在光通信中具有广泛的应用前景。文章首先介绍了OAM光束和CVB的数学描述和物理特性，然后重点综述了其产生和检测方法以及在自由空间光通信和光纤通信中的研究进展，比较了OAM光束和CVB在光通信应用中各自的优势与不足之处。最后，探讨了奇点光束复用光通信的应用方向和发展趋势。

The singular optical beams refer to the Orbital Angular Momentum (OAM) beam with phase singularity and the Cylindrical Vector Beam (CVB) with polarization singularity. Both the OAM and CVB are orthogonal optical modes, which can serve as basis for spatial division multiplexing optical communication. By providing a new degree of freedom, the singular optical beam multiplexing techniques dramatically increase the optical communication capacity and show significant application potentials in both classical and quantum optical communication. In this review paper, we firstly introduce the mathematical descriptions and physics properties of the OAM and CVB beams. Then the methods and techniques for OAM and CVB generation/detection are summarized. We also review the latest progresses of the OAM and CVB multiplexing based optical communication applications including the free-space and optical fiber communication. Finally, we talk about the pros and cons of the singular optical beams, and show our prospective for the future developments of the techniques.