Asian Journal of Physics Vol. 34, Nos 7 & 8 (2025) 375-413

Bessel beams, propagationally invariant beams, and axicons: An historical and tutorial review

Colin J R Sheppard
Honorary Professor
School of Optometry and Vision Science, UNSW Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
Dedicated to Prof Kehar Singh on the occasion of his 84th Birthday on July 3, 2025

The Bessel beam is discussed, including its historical development. We present the relationship with the Arago Spot, annular pupils, axicons and pupil filters. We also discuss Bessel-Gauss beams; higher order Bessel beams; electromagnetic polarization properties; waveguide and resonator modes; polychromatic and pulsed beams; one-dimensional Airy beams; extended depth of focus; and light sheets and photonic nanojets. © Anita Publications. All rights reserved.
Doi: XXX
Keywords: Bessel beams, Propagationally invariant beams, Diffraction-free beams, Nondiffracting beams.

Peer Review Information
Method: Single- anonymous; Screened for Plagiarism? Yes
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