Abstract

The last decade has seen immense advances in photonics based methods for imaging and manipulation. However in many photonics fields there is a recognition that using the direct form a laser output – the Gaussian beam – is restrictive for a number of applications in biophotonics including manipulation, imaging and beyond [1]. I will describe the use of shaped light fields namely propagation invariant (‘non-diffracting’) light fields and complex beam shaping. Propagation invariant light fields, as the name suggests retain their transverse intensity profile upon propagation. Bessel light fields and Airy light fields are prime examples of such beams. There is also the prospect of shaping light in time with approaches such as temporal focusing. This talk will describe some new approaches for particle manipulation and imaging in nanophotonics using appropriate combinations of digital photonics and shaped light.

© 2017 Optical Society of Japan