We present, to the best of our knowledge, a novel method for the
generation of multiple Bessel-like (Bessel–Gauss) beams with tilted
wavefronts whose optical phases can be controlled independently. In
the far field multiple field-free regions develop that are persistent
to interference effects and the optical phase. The extent of these
field-free regions can be controlled through the tilt angle of the
wavefront with a theoretical maximum resolution of 0.1 mrad.
Experimentally we employ a spatial light modulator, a lens, and an
axicon, each suitable for narrow-band (continuous-wave) and broadband
operation. Because of the simplicity in the optical elements, the
number of noninterfering Bessel-like beams can be scaled on demand for
applications that require multiple sources for coherent imaging or
multiple intense beams over a controllable region with the added
benefit of a field-free region for detection. Here, for reasons of
clarity, we characterized two beams.
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