Direct generation of accelerating Airy beams using a 3/2 phase-only pattern

Abstract

Accelerated Airy beams have previously been generated using a cubic phase pattern that represents the Fourier transform of the Airy beam. The Fourier transform of this pattern is formed using a system length of 2f, where f is the focal length of the Fourier transform lens. In this work, we directly generate the Airy beam using a 3/2 phase pattern encoded onto an LCD. Experimental results show a deflection that depends on the square of the distance from the LCD and match theoretical predictions. However the system length is much shorter.