Abstract

The lossless transmission of power using a diffraction-free Bessel laser¹ could have unlimited possibilities in electrooptics. A holographically generated² Bessel beam is handicapped because of its limited efficiency. Refractive systems have recently been designed for transforming a circularly Gaussian beam into a Bessel beam with almost unity efficiency.³ However, the feasibility of its fabrication is somewhat limited since the surfaces are nonlinear in nature. In this paper, we develop a different approach for achieving a refracting system which lends to spherical shape for both input and output surfaces. This is accomplished by iteratively varying the radius of curvature while maintaining an input-output energy distribution relationship and optical path length constant. The resulting refractive system is comparatively easier to machine and hence can be implemented directly.

© 1991 Optical Society of America