Modulation of a super-Gaussian optical needle with high-NA Fresnel zone plate.

A high NA Fresnel zone plate (FZP) is studied using vectorial angular spectrum theory for realizing the sharpest possible super-Gaussian optical needle with purely longitudinal polarization illuminated by a radially polarized vector beam. Strong dispersion of the FZP results in a light field resembling a super-Gaussian optical needle by selecting an optimal FZP structural wavelength relative to the illumination wavelength and inserting a narrow comb window function into the center-shaded FZP. A 25 μm long longitudinally polarized flattop optical needle with a transverse beam width of about 0.366λ is focused at a distance of 222.5 μm away from a binary amplitude 3.46 mm diameter FZP for a 532.4 nm wavelength in free space.

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