Airy beams generated by a binary phase element made of polymer-dispersed liquid crystals

Abstract

Using polymer-dispersed liquid crystals (PDLCs), an electrically switchable binary phase pattern was fabricated to generate Airy beams through a programmable lithographic system. The right main lobe of the reconstructed Airy beam experienced 1.3 mm transverse deflection within 24 cm propagation distance. With a suitable voltage applied, the binary PDLC pattern can be erased due to the index match between polymers and liquid crystals. This versatile approach can be also used to generate other special beams with electrically tunable capability.

Novel Finite Airy Array Beams Generated From Gaussian Array Beams Illuminating an Optical Airy Transform System

“…Several methods have been devoted to generate the Airy beams with finite energy. Among these, we can cite the cubic phase, 3/2 phase only pattern and three-wave mixing processes in asymmetric nonlinear photonic crystals [13][14][15][16][17][18].…”

Tunable twin Airy beams induced by binary phase patterns

“…However, a phase-only SLM has some intrinsic disadvantages, such as large pixel size, low resolution, and low laser damage threshold. To solve these problems, binary-phase elements may be a good method for generating Airy beams because of low cost and easy fabrication [10]. In the present work, we theoretically and experimentally study the physical process of Airy beams induced by binary-phase elements, and find that binary phase patterns generate a pair of symmetrically inverted twin Airy beams.…”

Airy beams beyond the paraxial approximation

“…We have analysed the behavior of the non paraxial approximation (23) for the values of the parameters pertaining to the aforementioned experimental demonstration [17], with the intent of clarifying and/or establishing, by a comparison with the results in [29], the limits of the approach here applied. Needless to say, such a comparison can be done only with the results in [29] concerning the propagation through the post-focus region.…”

“…Taking into account the considerations relevant to the paraxial and non-paraxial approximations, (6) and (9), as developed in Section 2, one should expect the smoothing of the Airy pattern at the initial plane to vanish the differences between the paraxial solution P Ψ BB ðξ; η; ζ; σÞ and the corresponding non-paraxial approximation (23) up to values of f larger than those pertaining to the case σ = 0 (see Section 4) at an extent, i.e. through ζ ranges, depending, of course, on σ.…”

“…the Airy function-based solutions [8] of evolutionary-type equations, firstly investigated in [4,9] and later in [10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28] within both a quantum mechanical context (i.e. in connection with the unit-mass freeparticle Schrödinger equation) and an optical context (and hence in connection with the PWE) from a theoretical as well as an applicative viewpoint.…”