Yixian Qian

Abstract We demonstrate a universal approach to designing and generating non-diffracting structured light beams with arbitrary shapes. Such light beams can be tailored by predefining suitable spectral phases that match the corresponding beam shapes in the transverse plane. We develop a practical spectral superposition algorithm to discuss the non-diffracting properties and experimentally confirm our numerical results.

Abstract Optical caustics and wavefronts of butterfly beams (BBs) derived by using a catastrophe theory determined by potential functions depending on the state and control variables are reported. Due to the high dimensionality for the control variables, BBs can be manipulated into various optical light structures.

Abstract In this Letter, to the best of our knowledge, we report the first experimental demonstration of a new family of autofocusing beams, circular swallowtail beams (CSBs), based on the high-order swallowtail catastrophe, which were determined by potential functions depending on the state and control parameters. The dynamics of the CSBs is discussed here. These types of CSBs tend to automatically focus without external components.