Abstract

A method is proposed for generating Bessel-like optical beams with arbitrary trajectories in free space. The method involves phase-modulating an optical wavefront so that conical bundles of rays are formed whose apexes write a continuous focal curve with pre-specified shape. These ray cones have circular bases on the input plane; thus their interference results in a Bessel-like transverse field profile that propagates along the specified trajectory with a remarkably invariant main lobe. Such beams can be useful as hybrids between non-accelerating and accelerating optical waves that share diffraction-resisting and self-healing properties.

© 2012 Optical Society of America

Observation of self-accelerating Bessel-like optical beams along arbitrary trajectories

Juanying Zhao, Peng Zhang, Dongmei Deng, Jingjiao Liu, Yuanmei Gao, Ioannis D. Chremmos, Nikolaos K. Efremidis, Demetrios N. Christodoulides, and Zhigang Chen
Opt. Lett. 38(4) 498-500 (2013)

Spatial Bessel-like beams along arbitrary convex trajectories based on a 3D-printed metasurface

Mei-jun Qu, Ren-wen Tian, Wen-yu Li, and Jian-xun Su
Opt. Lett. 47(14) 3507-3510 (2022)

Tunable self-similar Bessel-like beams of arbitrary order

Michael Goutsoulas, Domenico Bongiovanni, Denghui Li, Zhigang Chen, and Nikolaos K. Efremidis
Opt. Lett. 45(7) 1830-1833 (2020)

Bessel-like beams modulated by arbitrary radial functions

R. M. Herman and T. A. Wiggins
J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 17(6) 1021-1032 (2000)

Guiding the optical vortex along predesigned parabolic trajectories from circular symmetric Airy-like beams

You Wu, Chuangjie Xu, Huixin Qiu, Danlin Xu, and Dongmei Deng
Appl. Opt. 61(8) 1906-1911 (2022)