Institute for Systems and Technologies of Information, Control and Communication (INSTICC)
Abstract
We introduce an analytical technique for engineering the trajectory of diffraction-resisting laser beams. The generated beams have a Bessel-like transverse field distribution and can be navigated along rather arbitrary curved paths in free space, thus being an advanced hybrid between accelerating and non-accelerating diffraction-free optical waves. The method involves phase-modulating the wavefront of a Gaussian laser beam to create a continuum of conical ray bundles whose apexes define a prespecified focal curve, along which a nearly perfect circular intensity lobe propagates without diffracting. Through extensive numerical simulations, we demonstrate the great flexibility in the design of a gamut of different beam trajectories. Propagation around obstructions and self-healing scenarios are also investigated. The proposed wave entities can be used extensively for light trajectory control in applications such as laser microfabrication, optical tweezers and curved plasma filamentation spectroscopy
