Airy transform of Laguerre-Gaussian beams.

Abstract

Airy transform of Laguerre-Gaussian (LG) beams is investigated. As typical examples, the analytic expressions for the Airy transform of LG01, LG02, LG11, and LG12 modes are derived, which are special optical beams including the Airy and Airyprime functions. Based on these analytical expressions, the Airy transform of LG01, LG02, LG11, and LG12 modes are numerically and experimentally investigated, respectively. The effects of the control parameters α and β on the normalized intensity distribution of a Laguerre-Gaussian beam passing through Airy transform optical systems are investigated, respectively. It is found that the signs of the control parameters only affect the location of the beam spot, while the sizes of the control parameters will affect the characteristics of the beam spot. When the absolute values of the control parameters α and β decrease, the number of the side lobes in the beam spot, the beam spot size, and the Airy feature decrease, while the Laguerre-Gaussian characteristic is strengthened. By altering the control parameters α and β, the performance of these special optical beams is diversified. The experimental results are consistent with the theoretical simulations. The Airy transform of other Laguerre-Gaussian beams can be investigated in the same way. The properties of the Airy transform of Laguerre-Gaussian beams are well demonstrated. This research provides another approach to obtain special optical beams and expands the application of Laguerre-Gaussian beams.