Multiple Airy beam generation by a digital micro mirror device

Abstract

The Airy beam is the solution of Maxwell's wave equation and since this equation is linear, a superposition of Airy beams still remains the solution of the wave equation. In this paper, we propose a method for generating multiple Airy beams that includes a desirable number of up to 6 individual Airy beams with desirable acceleration properties. By introducing a decenter into the designed diffractive optical element (DOE) of an Airy beam the problem of generating dual airy beams patterns by an amplitude-based spatial light modulator is solved. By superimposing the designed DOEs of individual Airy beams and scaling them to the proper gray level range, the DOE of the multiple Airy beams is generated. Displaying this DOE on a digital micromirror device, multiple Airy beams are experimentally produced. The experimental studies of these beams show good agreement with the performed simulations.