CREATION AND ANNIHILATION OF PHASE SINGULARITIES IN A FOCAL FIELD

Authors
KARMAN GP BEIJERSBERGEN MW VANDUIJL A WOERDMAN JP
Citation
Gp. Karman et al., CREATION AND ANNIHILATION OF PHASE SINGULARITIES IN A FOCAL FIELD, Optics letters, 22(19), 1997, pp. 1503-1505
Citations number
8
Categorie Soggetti
Optics
Journal title
Optics letters → ACNP
ISSN journal
01469592
Volume
22
Issue
19
Year of publication
1997
Pages
1503 - 1505
Database
ISI
SICI code
0146-9592(1997)22:19<1503:CAAOPS>2.0.ZU;2-9
Abstract
It is well known that uniform illumination of a lens leads to a focal field with a pattern of dark Airy rings in the focal plane, whereas th is is not the case for Gaussian illumination. We show theoretically an d experimentally that in the transition between the two cases the Airy rings, being phase singularities, reorganize themselves by means of a creation-annihilation process leading to new dark rings outside the f ocal plane. (C) 1997 Optical Society of America.