Generation of hollow beams by using a binary spatial light modulator

We demonstrate the generation of hollow laser beams by using a binary spatial light modulator and compare the results with those for a continuous modulator. The binary phase modulator produces beams that have continuous, azimuthally varying phase profiles and can be dynamically changed with kilohertz refresh rates. The intensity and phase profiles are recorded through the focus of an imaging lens and are compared with scalar diffraction theory. We highlight properties of the beams relevant to optical dipole traps.     

Spatial filtering dark hollow beams

We describe the synthesis of diffraction free beams and dark hollow beams with features easily tunable using a holographic transmittance. The hologram is generated by interfering two zero order Bessel beams with non-common axis. Spatial filtering techniques are implemented by controlling the illumination during the reconstruction process. The experimental results are for illumination similar to the one used in the recording process, obtaining a set of diffracting free beams. One of these beams propagates quasi-parallel to the surface hologram. For illumination with a plane wave we obtain a dark hollow beam propagating in the same direction as the reconstructions beam. Experimental results are shown in both cases.     

Fresnel filtering of Gaussian beams in microcavities

We study the output from the modes described by the superposition of Gaussian beams confined in the quasi-stadium microcavities. We experimentally observe the deviation from Snell's law in the output when the incident angle of the Gaussian beam at the cavity interface is near the critical angle for total internal reflection, providing direct experimental evidence on the Fresnel filtering. The theory of the Fresnel filtering for a planar interface qualitatively reproduces experimental data, and a discussion is given on small deviation between the measured data and the theory.     

Generation of dark hollow beam by use of phase-only filtering

A simple but effective scheme to generate dark hollow beams is proposed by use of phase-only filtering and optical Fourier transform. A Gaussian beam of fundamental mode is modulated by a pre-designed phase mask, which is a piecewise modification of an axicon lens, and followed by a Fourier transform to generate an ideal dark hollow beam at the focal plane. This method has an advantage that the total energy of the beam is conserved under paraxial approximation. Numerical calculations are provided to show the validity of the proposed scheme.     

Generation of faultless multi-pinhole masks by means of spatial filtering

Faultless multi-pinhole masks are generated by a spatial filtering process using very simple intensity filters. In particular, in the case of hexagonal multi-pinhole masks, filters with only one hexagonal ring of pinholes are used yielding two interesting features of the filtered images: the depth of focus of the images is increased to centimeters, and the number of holes within the masks can very easily be increased by a factor 4 or 9.     

空心高斯涡旋光束的远场特性

基于角谱法和稳相法,推导出了空心高斯涡旋光束的TE波和TM波在自由空间远场传输和能流密度的解析表达式,研究了其相位奇点和能流密度分布。结果表明,空心高斯涡旋光束的远场特性主要跟控制参数有关。改变光束中的涡旋离轴量,光涡旋和能流密度黑核会发生移动。圆刃型位错线的半径和能流密度暗环位置跟束腰宽度有关,而能流密度的对称性主要受涡旋离轴量的影响。     

Focal shift of hollow Gaussian beams through a thin lens

In this paper, the focal shift of hollow Gaussian beams (HGBs) passing through a thin lens is investigated in detail. An analytic expression of the location of the axial maximum intensity for the HGBs is derived. It is found that, both the relative focal shift and the relative location of the axial maximal intensity of the HGBs is strongly affected by the ratio α (where α=s/f, here s is the axial distance from the input plane to the lens plane and f is the focus length of the lens), and it is also greatly affected by the changes of both the effective Fresnel number N_w and the order n of HGBs.     

利用椭圆高斯光束产生266nm紫外连续激光

本文采用商用532 nm激光器作为基频光源,利用偏硼酸钡(β-BBO)晶体进行外腔倍频,实现了266 nm连续激光的高效输出.文中详细模拟了BBO晶体中的束腰形状对倍频效率的影响,仿真和实验结果均表明椭圆高斯光束可以有效改善走离效应,提高倍频转换效率.通过优化蝶形倍频腔,可以使椭圆高斯光束在腔内共振,当1 W基频光输入时可输出约180 mW的266 nm紫外连续激光,倍频转换效率达到18%.     

The intensity distribution of hollow Gaussian beams focused by a lens with spherical aberration

We developed an expression that describes the hollow Gaussian beams (HGBs) passing through a spherically aberrated lens by using the Collins formula. The radial intensity distribution in both spherical aberration SA free lens, lens that exhibits relatively large in both positive spherical aberration PSA, and negative spherical aberration NSA is calculated. Numerical calculations are made and the results show that the PSA and NSA have a strong influence on the intensity distribution especially at the focus. The study showed remarkable results for which there is no hollow Gaussian beam at a large NSA along the optical axis at the focus. In addition, we found that the DSS, and w_r of focused hollow Gaussian beams in the focal region depend not only on the beam radius, and beam order; but also on the spherical aberration.     

Propagation of nonparaxial vector hollow Gaussian beams through a circular aperture

Based on the vectorial Rayleith-Sommerfeld formulae, the nonparaxial propagation properties of the vector hollow Gaussian beams (HGBs) through a circular aperture are studied in detail. We describe the derivation of the integral expressions of the propagation of nonparaxial vector HGBs through a circular aperture. The derived expression is independent the approximation of paraxial and far field, which are valid for either far and near field and for the systems in which aperture radius is comparable to or even smaller than wavelength. And it is also strict integral formula for the light field on the axis. Numerical calculation results indicate that there is no difference between derived formulae and the Collins formulae in the situation of paraxial approximation. Using the formula deduced, we calculate the propagation properties of HGBs. The calculated results indicate that the propagation field of vector hollow Gaussian beams is asymmetric in near field, while the propagation field is symmetric in far field. These research results could well shed light on the further understanding of the vectorial property of HGBs through a circular aperture, and would play a guiding role in the practical application of HGBs.     

Vectorial structure of helical hollow Gaussian beams in the far field

The analytical vectorial structure of helical hollow Gaussian beam (HHGB) is investigated in the far field based on the vector plane wave spectrum and the method of stationary phase. The energy flux distributions of HHGB in the far-field, which is composed of TE term with the electric field transverse to the propagation axis, and TM term with the magnetic field transverse to the propagation axis, are demonstrated. The physics pictures of HHGB is illustrated from the vectorial structure, which is important to understand the theoretical aspects of both scalar and vector HHGB propagation.     

Propagation and polarization properties of hollow Gaussian beams in uniaxial crystals

Based on the paraxial vectorial theory of beams propagating in uniaxially anisotropic media, we have derived the analytical propagation equations of hollow Gaussian beams (HGBs) in uniaxial crystals, and given the typical numerical example to illustrate our analytical results. Due to the anisotropy crystals, the ordinary and extraordinary beams originated by incident HGBs propagate with different diffraction lengths, thus the linear polarization state and axial symmetry of incident HGBs do not remain during propagating in crystals.     

Generation of dark hollow beams by using a fractional radial Hilbert transform system

The radial Hilbert transform has been extend to the fractional field, which could be called the fractional radial Hilbert transform (FRHT). Using edge-enhancement characteristics of this transform, we convert a Gaussian light beam into a variety of dark hollow beams (DHBs). Based on the fact that a hard-edged aperture can be expanded approximately as a finite sum of complex Gaussian functions, the analytical expression of a Gaussian beam passing through a FRHT system has been derived. As a numerical example, the properties of the DHBs with different fractional orders are illustrated graphically. The calculation results obtained by use of the analytical method and the integral method are also compared.     

Generation of a hollow Gaussian beam and its anomalous behavior

I attempted to produce a laser beam with no light in the central line of the beam, by Fresnel diffraction of the Gaussian beam by a spiral zone plate (SZP). The study imparts an arbitrary-order phase singularity on the light field. The experimental results show that the optical vortex radius depends on the singularity’s integer order n (also termed topological charge, or order of the dislocation). Also, the radius of maximum intensity is shown to depend on the singularity number. Anomalous behavior of the spectra at phase singularity produced by various zone plates near the focus of a converging Gaussian beam is also studied using a simple experimental technique. It is found that the spectrum of the beam on the SZP (spiral zone plate) consisting of a single spectral profile shows almost vanishing intensity at all frequencies with a tendency of splitting into two peaks at the on-axis point and shows redshift and blueshift around the phase singularity. A comparative study of the anomalous behavior of the spectra at phase singularity produced by various SZPs, with varying phase singularity order n, near the focus of a converging Gaussian laser beam is studied.     

矢量空心高斯光束横纵向光场传输特性

基于矢量瑞利-索末菲衍射积分,研究了矢量空心高斯光束横向光场和纵向光场在自由空间中的传输特性.研究结果表明,空心高斯光束的横向光场与纵向光场在传输过程中光强分布情况并不相同,横向光场的光强分布具有旋转对称性,并且保持空心特性的距离受光束阶数的影响,而纵向光场不再具有旋转对称性,并且在理想状态下纵向光场可以一直保持空心特...     

Spectral anomalies of focused hollow Gaussian beams at the geometrical focal plane

On the basis of diffraction integral and the expansion of the hard-aperture function into a finite series of complex Gaussian functions, an approximate expression for spatially fully coherent polychromatic hollow Gaussian beams passing through aperture lens is obtained. Detailed numerical results indicate that remarkable spectral changes always occurs near the points where the field amplitude has zero value. The effects of truncation parameter, Fresnel number and the beam order on spectral shifts and spectral switches are investigated numerically.     

Generation of nondiffracting Bessel beams by use of a spatial light modulator

A laser beam with phase singularities is an interesting object to study in optics and may have important applications in guiding atoms and molecules. We explore the characteristics of a singularity in a nondiffracting Bessel beam experimentally by use of a programmable spatial light modulator with 64-level phase holograms. The diffraction efficiency with 64-level phase holograms is greatly improved in comparison with that obtained with a binary grating. The experiments show that the size and deflection angle of the beam can be controlled in real time. The observations are in agreement with scalar diffraction theory.     

用线偏振光产生可调矢量椭圆空心光束

提出了利用π相位板产生矢量空心光束的新方案,两个偏振方向互相垂直的线偏振光波分别通过π相位板调制后进行强度叠加,得到椭圆空心光束,用矩形光阑调节相位板的几何尺寸,可以实时调节椭圆的离心率;调节π相位板的方位,能够实现径向矢量空心光束到角向矢量空心光束的转换。分析、讨论了方案的可行性和在原子光学中的潜在应用,结果表明:本方案在原子光学中有很好的应用前景。     

Generation of high-current electron beams by a hollow cathode with a ferroelectric plasma source

This paper presents results and analysis of an experimental investigation of the operation of a hollow cathode (HC) with an incorporated ferroelectric plasma source (FPS). It was shown that the use of FPS based on a BaTi solid solution allows one to ignite and to sustain a 10²-10³ A HC discharge with duration of 10^-3-10^-5 s at background pressure of 5 x 10^-3 Pa while keeping the HC design with small dimensions. It was found that the development of the HC discharge is accompanied by formation at the surface of the FPS of dense plasma which serves as a powerful (hundreds of kW) pulsed source of current carrying electrons. Parameters of the HC plasma (radial distribution of the plasma density and temperature and plasma potential) for different discharge current amplitudes and two types of FPS are presented. Application of the FPS as an electron source in a diode under an accelerating pulse 300 kV and pulse duration 400 ns showed that the latter operates in a plasma pre-filled mode with a current amplitude up to 1.6 kA. Parameters of the diode and electron beam for different experimental conditions are presented and discussed.Received: 10 April 2003, Published online: 12 August 2003PACS: 52.50.Dg Plasma sources - 29.25.Bx Electron sources - 52.25.Tx Emission, absorption, and scattering of particles