Binary phase plate for high-intensity non-diffracting hollow beam structure

Abstract

We propose a new technique for the formation of non-diffracting hollow beam structures using the combination of an axicon lens and a binary multi-sector phase plate. The phase plate provides an azimuthal π-modulation of the phase of the transmitted wavefront. The produced intensity distribution is well described by a pair of optical vortices having opposite topological charges associated with the number of sectors in the phase plate. The proposed technique forms a spatial intensity pattern with a maximal intensity that is 2 times higher when compared with similar techniques, such as spiral phase plates.