Transformation of an elliptic into a circular beam using a diffractive binary optic

We propose a new method for transforming an elliptic Gaussian beam, in the near field, into a circular Gaussian beam in the far field. For that, we consider the use of a simple binary diffractive optic which is able to circularize an elliptic beam of 2:1 aspect ratio. (C) 2001 Published by Elsevier Science B.V.