Ultrashort-pulsed truncated polychromatic Bessel-Gauss beams

Spatio-spectral and spatio-temporal transfer and intensity propagation of truncated ultrashort-pulsed Bessel-Gauss beams were investigated. Extended needle-shaped focal zones were generated using a compact setup with a reflective small-angle axicon and self-apodized truncation by an adapted aperture. Spectral maps of Bessel-Gauss beams were analyzed on the basis of higher order statistical moments. Compared to focused pulsed Gaussian beams with their spectrally dependent propagation, an ultrabroadband spatio-spectral transfer function was detected over Rayleigh ranges exceeding 10 cm. These results indicate favorable pseudo-nondiffracting characteristics not only from the point of view of spatial propagation but also with respect to the spectral and temporal stability. (c) 2008 Optical Society of America.