Far-field three-dimensional deep-subwavelength focal spot with azimuthal polarization

TL;DR

This paper presents a novel method for generating deep-subwavelength three-dimensional focal spots with azimuthal polarization using a differential filter and Fourier transform techniques, achieving significant size reduction and sidelobe suppression.

Contribution

The work introduces a self-designed differential filter combined with beam shifting to produce ultra-sharp, deep-subwavelength azimuthal focal spots with minimized sidelobes, advancing optical focusing capabilities.

Findings

Achieved a 0.392λ lateral focal spot size, 27.3% smaller than traditional methods.

Reduced focal spot size to 0.228λ transversely and 0.286λ axially with sidelobe levels below 20%.

Demonstrated phase profile control for annihilating field singularity and shaping polarization.

Abstract

This work focuses on the generation of far-field super-resolved pure-azimuthal focal field based on the fast Fourier transform. A self-designed differential filter is first pioneered to robustly reconfigure a doughnut-shaped azimuthal focal field into a bright one with a sub-wavelength lateral scale (0.392{\lambda}), which offers a 27.3% reduction ratio relative to that of tightly focused azimuthal polarization modulated by a spiral phase plate. By further uniting the versatile differential filter with spatially shifted beam approach, in addition to allowing for an extremely sharper focal spot, whose size is in turn reduced to 0.228{\lambda} and 0.286{\lambda} in the transverse as well as axial directions, the parasitic sidelobes are also lowered to an inessential level (< 20%), thereby enabling an excellent three-dimensional deep-subwavelength focal field ({\lambda}3/128). The relevant phase profiles are further exhibited to unravel the annihilation of field singularity and locally linear (i.e. azimuthal) polarization. Our scheme opens a promising route toward efficiently steer and tailor the redistribution of the focal field.