Propagation of anisotropic Bessel-Gaussian beams: sidelobe control, mode selection, and field depth

Theoretical topics encountered in engineering analysis of diffraction-free beams are addressed. These topics are the following: synthesizing a class o f diffraction-free beams with noncircular transverse irradiance distributio ns, e.g., elliptical beams; the effect of Gaussian apodization on sidelobe control; and mode selection that allows one to synthesize a nearly diffract ion-free beam with a certain depth of field. The focusing properties of Bes sel-Gaussian beams will be investigated the future. (C) 2001 Optical Societ y of America.