Three dimensional analysis of chromatic aberration in diffractive elements with extended depth of focus

The paper presents the polychromatic analysis of two diffractive optical elements with extended depth of focus: the linear axicon and the light sword optical element. Chromatic aberration produces axial displacement of the focal segment line. Thus, we explore the possibility of extending the focal depth of these elements to permit superposition of the chromatic foci. In the case of an axicon, we achieve an achromatic zone where focusing is produced. In the case of the light sword element, we show that the focusing segment is out of axis. Therefore a superposition of colors is produced, but not on axis overlapping. Instead, three colored and separated foci are simultaneously obtained in a single plane. Three dimensional structures of the propagated beams are analyzed in order to provide better understanding of the properties and applications of such elements. (c) 2007 Optical Society of America.