Fig. 1. Characterization of functions $J_0^2$ and $J_1^2$. (a): plots of $J_0^2$ (solid curve) and $J_1^2$ (dashed curve); (b) and (c): spatial distributions of $J_0^2$(r) and $J_1^2$(r), respectively, calculated in polar coordinates.

Fig. 2. Longitudinal cross sections of the intensity distributions numerically simulated in the PMMA-DR1 layer with (a) radially polarized, (b) circularly polarized and (c) az-imuthally polarized Bessel beams.

Fig. 3. Recording setup.

Fig. 4. Characterization of the optical response of the PMMA-DR1 layer illuminated with a radially polarized Bessel beam ((a)-(d)), a circularly polarized Bessel beam ((e)-(h)) and an azimuthally polarized Bessel beam ((i)-(k)). (a),(e),(i): |E_T |², experiments; (b),(f): |E_L |², theory; (c),(g),(j): topography of the photoinduced surface relief pattern; (d),(h),(k): plots of |E_T |² profiles (theory: top dashed curves, experiments: top solid curves), |E_L |² profiles (bottom dashed curves) and topography acquisition profiles (bottom solid curves). Profile width : 2 μm. (l): comparison between the profiles of the surface imprint and the one calculated with the gradient force model [15], illumination with a radially polarized Bessel beam.

Fig. 5. (a): Longitudinal cross section of the intensity simulated in the PMMA-DR1 layer illuminated with a highly convergent radially polarized Bessel beams; (b): Transverse cross section along the white line of (a); (c): Topography of the surface relief pattern. λ = 488 nm.