Half-integer order Bessel beams

Abstract

Optical beams are solutions to the paraxial wave equation (PWE). In this work we report a new, to our knowledge, optical beam. We solve the PWE by using the angular spectrum of plane waves theory in circular cylindrical coordinates. This lead us to solutions expressed in integral form that can be evaluated in closed-form for half-integer order Bessel functions. We show how to implement numerical simulation and how these results are confirmed by experiment. We believe this approach facilitates the analysis and synthesis of generic optical beams.