Focusing of high order cylindrical vector beams

Abstract

We present the results of calculations of focusing high order cylindrical vector beams in the limit of high numerical aperture. We derive a form of the vectorial diffraction integrals for arbitrary radial and azimuthal mode indices and evaluate these numerically for a number of different modes. We identify combinations of mode indices and lens filling factors that produce focal volume shapes that may be of interest for a number of applications such as optical trapping, two-photon lithography or optical super-resolution. Finally we evaluate the effect of spherical aberration on the focusing.