Generation of optical Y-junction Bessel beams

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Beam Shaping
• Nonlinear Optics

Background:

• Bessel beams are known for their non-diffracting properties.
• Controlling the spatial structure of light beams is crucial for various applications.
• Previous methods for beam splitting often lack flexibility or efficiency.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and demonstrate a novel method for splitting the central spot of zero-order Bessel beams.
• To create a Y-junction Bessel beam with two parallel propagating spots.
• To characterize the properties and propagation of the generated Y-junction Bessel beam.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a magnetic-liquid deformable mirror to impart a specific phase profile.
• Combined an axicon and a phase step function on the mirror surface.
• Characterized the resulting beam using optical measurements and a numerical model.

Main Results:

• Successfully split the 80 µm central spot of a Bessel beam into two distinct, parallel spots.
• Demonstrated propagation of the Y-junction Bessel beam over distances exceeding 15 cm.
• Observed experimental results consistent with theoretical predictions from a numerical model.

Conclusions:

• The proposed method effectively generates Y-junction Bessel beams.
• The magnetic-liquid deformable mirror offers a versatile platform for beam shaping.
• Y-junction Bessel beams hold potential for applications in optical manipulation and microscopy.