Generalized Ring Pearcey Beams with Tunable Autofocusing Properties

Abstract In this paper, generalized ring Pearcey beams are proposed theoretically and their corresponding generation is demonstrated experimentally by use of the double‐phase method. Generalized ring Pearcey beams evolve into circular or elliptical ring Pearcey beams, depending on the elliptical parameter. It is shown that the autofocusing properties of such beams can be effectively controlled by adjusting the elliptical parameter and the spatial distribution factor. To perform a more comprehensive investigation, the radially polarized forms of the beams are also realized in experiments. It is found that for both cases of vector and scalar, the peak intensity of the beams at the autofocusing plane undergo a dramatic increase as compared with that at the initial plane. Finally, by taking optical trapping as an example, it is proved that generalized ring Pearcey beams could be a productive instrument for industrial applications.