Abstract
Self-accelerating optical beams form as a direct outcome of interference, initiated by a predesigned initial condition. In a similar fashion, quantum mechanical particles exhibit force-free acceleration as a result of interference effects following proper preparation of the initial Schrödinger wave function. Indeed, interference is at the heart of such wave packets, and hence it is implied that self-accelerating wave packets must be coherent entities. Counter to that, we demonstrate theoretically and experimentally spatially incoherent self-accelerating beams, in both the paraxial and the nonparaxial domains. We show that in principle, the transverse correlation distance can be as short as a single wavelength, while a properly designed initial beam will give rise to shape-preserving acceleration for the same distance as a coherent accelerating beam propagating on the same trajectory. These findings expand the understanding of the relation between coherence and accelerating beams, and may have implications for the design of self-accelerating quantum wave packets with limited quantum coherence.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 886-892 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | Optica |
Volume | 2 |
Issue number | 10 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 9 Oct 2015 |
Keywords
- Diffraction
- Modes
- Propagation
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
- Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics