Open AccessWhite light propagation invariant beams
Author(s) -
Pascal Fischer,
C.T.A. Brown,
James Harry Morris,
Carlos López-Mariscal,
E. M. Wright,
W. Sibbett,
Kishan Dholakia
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
optics express
Language(s) - Uncategorized
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.394
H-Index - 271
ISSN - 1094-4087
DOI - 10.1364/opex.13.006657
Subject(s) - optics , physics , supercontinuum , superposition principle , light beam , light field , coherence theory , laser , coherence length , optical fiber , quantum mechanics , superconductivity , photonic crystal fiber
Propagation invariant light fields such as Bessel light beams are of interest in a variety of current areas such as micromanipulation of atoms and mesoscopic particles, laser plasmas, and the study of optical angular momentum. Considering the optical fields as a superposition of conical waves, we discuss how the coherence properties of light play a key role in their formation. As an example, we show that Bessel beams can be created from temporally incoherent broadband light sources including a halogen bulb. By using a supercontinuum source we elucidate how the beam behaves as a function of bandwidth of the incident light field.