Generation of High-Power Bottle Beams and Autofocusing Beams

• Published in: IEEE photonics journal Vol. 10; no. 1; pp. 1 - 7
• Main Authors: Qian, Yixian, Lai, Songtao, Mao, Hongxing
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: IEEE 01-04-2018
• Subjects: autofocusing beam; Beam propagation; Laser beams; Nonlinear optics; Optical beams; optical bottle beam; Optical diffraction; Optical propagation; physics optics; self-acceleration; Ultrafast optics
• ISSN: 1943-0655; 1943-0647
• DOI: 10.1109/JPHOT.2018.2799165

We propose and experimentally demonstrate an optical bottle beam (BB) and an abruptly autofocusing beam (AB), which were generated using a ring-Airy beam array. The method can form BB arrays with varying sizes during propagation; consequently, it can produce multiple optical traps. Additionally, the BB size and the AB focal position can be controlled by varying the array radius. The intensity of the resulting beams improved significantly with increasing array number, and the value abruptly increased 800 times at the focal position when array radius and number were 2 mm and 64, respectively. It is the lateral acceleration of Airy beams that causes this abrupt increase in intensity. Numerical simulations were consistent with experimental results. These advantages could be beneficial for potential applications, such as optical traps, laser ablation, and the ignition of nonlinear effect. (The caption of Graphic Abstract is generation of high-power BBs and ABs using a ring-Airy beam array.)