Imaging characteristics of abrupt autofocusing beams

Circular Airy (CAi) beams, also known as abrupt autofocusing (AAF) beams, represent a distinct class of structured optical fields whose propagation is governed by inward-accelerating wavefronts and caustic-driven energy localization. While their unique focusing dynamics and high-intensity focal spots have been extensively studied, their role as illumination fields for image formation has remained largely unexplored. Here, we present the first systematic investigation, to our knowledge, of image formation using AAF illumination, establishing a direct connection between the focal-spot physics of AAF beams and their imaging performance. We show that the autofocusing mechanism of AAF beams produces a compact, Bessel-like focal core with reduced transverse extent and extended axial persistence compared to Gaussian illumination, enabling improved resolution and depth of focus in imaging. Through a unified Fourier-optics framework, we demonstrate that the structured AAF point spread function preserves spatial-frequency support over defocus, allowing direct image formation with enhanced robustness. These results position AAF beams as a physically grounded illumination strategy for high-resolution, extended-depth imaging and establish structured autofocusing fields as a new degree of freedom in optical image formation.