An optical element has been invented to generate a zero-order quasi-Bessel beam with a certain distance to the element, which does not exist in the zero-order quasi-Bessel beam by using a traditional axicon. The cross section of designed element is an isosceles triangle whose equal sides are circumscribed by two semi-ellipses. Using a well-developed three-dimensional (3D)-printing technique, we have fabricated a series of elements working at terahertz (THz) frequency. Both simulated and experimental results clearly show that there is a certain distance between the generated quasi-Bessel beam and this element. A physical analysis based on geometric optics theory is performed to explain the obtained results. Because it is a refractive transmitted optical element, we propose that it can be also realized at another frequency band if the relevant processing techniques are available.

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An effective approach is proposed for obtaining a long-distance THz diffraction-free beam with meter-scale length. Multiple 3D-printed lens-axicon doublets are cascaded to form the generation system. In order to manifest the physical mechanism behind the generation process of this long-distance diffraction-free beam, we make a detailed comparative analysis of three beams: the ideal Bessel beam, the quasi-Bessel beam generated by single axicon, and the diffraction-free beam generated by the lens-axicon doublets. Theoretical results show that the zero-radial-spatial-frequency component plays a key role during the generation process of the third beam. Moreover, the intensities of this component are enhanced with the increase in the number of lens-axicon doublets, making the diffraction-free length longer. An experiment containing three lens-axicon doublets is performed to demonstrate the feasibility of our design. A 0.1-THz beam with one-meter diffraction-free length was successfully generated. Further experiments indicate that this THz diffraction-free beam also has a self-healing property. We believe that such long-distance diffraction-free beams can be used in practical THz remote sensing or imaging.