Propagation of anisotropic Bessel-Gaussian beams: sidelobe control, mode selection, and field depth

Theoretical topics encountered in engineering analysis of diffraction-free beams are addressed. These topics are the following: synthesizing a class of diffraction-free beams with noncircular transverse irradiance distributions, e.g., elliptical beams; the effect of Gaussian apodization on sidelobe control; and mode selection that allows one to synthesize a nearly diffraction-free beam with a certain depth of field. The focusing properties of Bessel-Gaussian beams will be investigated the future.