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An optical needle is a specialized spatial light field characterized by an extremely small transverse spot size, capable of breaking the diffraction limit, and an extended depth of focus in the longitudinal direction. Typically, optical needles are generated by tightly focusing a beam using a lens. This paper demonstrates the generation of optical needles using circular Airy vortex beams (CAVBs) with modulation of the cone angle. The CAVBs have a uniform distribution of circular polarization, eliminating the need for radial polarization states. Our research findings indicate that, under the cone angle modulation, CAVBs with a topological charge of -1 (left-handed circular polarization) and 1 (right-handed circular polarization) can form optical needles. These optical needles possess a minimal transverse spot size, enabling them to exceed the diffraction limit while maintaining a long depth of focus. Furthermore, the depth of focus of the optical needle is almost linearly related to the primary ring radius of the beam. Thus, increasing the primary ring radius can effectively enhance the depth of focus. For CAVBs with other topological charges, different hollow light fields can be generated, which are distinct from optical needles. This is because, under a the cone angle modulation, the longitudinal component of the light beam is significantly enhanced. Only CAVBs with an appropriate topological charge have a longitudinal light field distributed near the optical axis, leading to the formation of optical needles. For other topological charges, the longitudinal light field remains hollow, resulting in the creation of hollow light fields. The findings of this research hold potential applications in fields such as super-resolution imaging and optical micromanipulation.
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Keywords:
- Optical needle /
- Circular Airy beam /
- Optical vortex /
- Optical modulation
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