Abstract

The interaction between laser and matter can efficiently produce very interesting structures. Despite the flexibility of the conventional Gaussian beam, other beam shapes bring advantages in matter structuring. Applying a conical phase, the Gaussian beam can be shaped in a zeroth order Bessel beam with its characteristic high aspect ratio central core. The Bessel beam gives interesting results in single shot drilling and fast-cutting of thick material [1, 2]. Moreover, by applying an additional vortex phase, a higher order Bessel beam is obtained with a hollow cylindrical central core. A single shot of this beam can create an elongated zone of higher density due to matter compression [3]. On the other side, a vortex phase on a gaussian beam gives a doughnut shaped beam carrying optical angular momentum that is capable of generating spiraling nano-needles [4].

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