Modulation of a super-Gaussian optical needle with high-NA Fresnel zone plate

A high NA Fresnel zone plate (FZP) is studied using vectorial angular spectrum theory for realizing the sharpest possible super-Gaussian optical needle with purely longitudinal polarization illuminated by a radially polarized vector beam. Strong dispersion of the FZP results in a light field resembling a super-Gaussian optical needle by selecting an optimal FZP structural wavelength relative to the illumination wavelength and inserting a narrow comb window function into the center-shaded FZP. A 25 mu m long longitudinally polarized flattop optical needle with a transverse beam width of about 0.366 lambda is focused at a distance of 222.5 mu m away from a binary amplitude 3.46 mm diameter FZP for a 532.4 nm wavelength in free space. (C) 2013 Optical Society of America