Flat-topped light beams with non-circular cross-sections

Abstract

A set of flat-topped light beams with non-circular cross-sections is introduced. This set includes beams with rectangular, elliptical, pyramidal and one-dimensional Gaussian cross-sections. The one-dimensional Gaussian denotes a beam with Gaussian distribution in one direction and a long flattened distribution in the perpendicular direction. Field distributions of this set of beams can be expressed as sums of the lowest order Gaussian modes (TEM₀₀) having different parameters. The main features of the beam are investigated throughout the space without using the orthogonal polynomials.