Photonic jet generated by spheroidal particle with Gaussian-beam illumination

Within the framework of generalized Lorenz-Mie theory, the properties of three-dimensional photonic jets emerging from spheroidal particles illuminated by a focused Gaussian beam are studied. The intensity, focal distance, and transverse and longitudinal dimensions of a photonic jet depending on the ellipticity of the spheroidal particle are numerically investigated. The simulation results show that, by simply varying the ellipticity, it is possible to obtain localized photon fluxes having different power characteristics and spatial dimensions. This can be of interest for several applications, such as high-resolution (nanometer scale) optical sensors, subdiffraction-resolution optical virtual imaging, and ultradirectional optical antennas. (C) 2014 Optical Society of America