Bessel beam propagation using radial beam propagation method at different propagation scales

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Computational Physics
• Wave Propagation

Background:

• Bessel beams offer unique propagation-invariant properties, crucial for applications in microscopy, optical trapping, and laser materials processing.
• Accurate and efficient modeling of Bessel beam propagation is essential for optimizing these applications.
• Existing methods like the Fast Fourier Transform Beam Propagation Method (FFT-BPM) have limitations in accuracy and speed for certain scenarios.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the propagation characteristics of Bessel beams in cylindrical coordinates using the Hankel Transform Beam Propagation Method (HT-BPM).
• To compare the performance (accuracy and speed) of HT-BPM against the FFT-BPM for modeling Bessel beam propagation.
• To validate the HT-BPM's predictions against analytical and experimental data across various scales and input conditions.

Main Methods:

• Implementation and application of the Hankel Transform Beam Propagation Method (HT-BPM) for simulating Bessel beam propagation.
• Comparative analysis of HT-BPM with the Fast Fourier Transform Beam Propagation Method (FFT-BPM).
• Validation of simulation results against analytical solutions and experimental data for axial intensity and spot radius.

Main Results:

• HT-BPM demonstrates a significant speed advantage, being ten times faster than FFT-BPM across different sampling points.
• HT-BPM achieves high accuracy in predicting Bessel beam spot radius (99% relative to analytical value), outperforming FFT-BPM (89.9%).
• HT-BPM results show excellent agreement with analytical and experimental values for axial intensity prediction at microscale to meter-scale propagation distances.

Conclusions:

• The HT-BPM is a highly accurate and computationally efficient method for modeling Bessel beam propagation in cylindrical coordinates.
• HT-BPM offers superior accuracy and speed compared to FFT-BPM, making it suitable for diverse applications and scales.
• The validated HT-BPM provides a reliable tool for analyzing Bessel beam behavior under various conditions and input profiles.