The spelling of "Airy beam" is based on the phonetic pronunciation of the word. The word "air" is pronounced as /ɛər/ using IPA phonetic transcription, while the word "beam" is pronounced as /biːm/. Combining these two words results in the pronunciation of "Airy beam" as /ˈɛəri biːm/. The term "Airy beam" refers to a type of light beam that is characterized by a circular central spot surrounded by concentric rings of light. This term is commonly used in the field of optics and physics.
An airy beam refers to a unique type of light beam that possesses a complex intensity profile and exhibits non-diffracting self-healing properties. This optical phenomenon arises from the precise manipulation of the wavefront, resulting in a distinctive beam structure. The main characteristic of an airy beam is its ability to spread out while maintaining a central maximum intensity, allowing for long-distance propagation with minimal diffraction and minimal beam spreading. This distinguishes airy beams from traditional light beams, which tend to gradually diverge and scatter over distance, thereby diminishing their intensity.
The behavior of airy beams is a consequence of diffraction, as they are a particular solution to the wave equation. Mathematically, airy beams are described by a specific Airy function, which characterizes their unique asymmetric intensity and phase distribution. Due to the self-healing property, if an airy beam is obstructed by an obstacle, it can partially recover its original shape once the obstruction is removed, as if the beam "repairs" itself. This makes airy beams highly versatile and applicable in various fields of science and technology, including microscopy, free-space optical communications, and remote sensing.
The term "airy" is derived from the British astronomer George Biddell Airy, who first described these beams in the mid-19th century while investigating diffraction patterns. Since then, airy beams have gained considerable attention and have become an area of active research, leading to numerous advancements in the field of optics.
The term Airy beam is named after the British astronomer Sir George Biddell Airy, who studied the behavior of light, specifically its diffraction and interference patterns. In the mid-19th century, Airy investigated the phenomenon of a thin beam of light passing through a circular aperture, which produced a distinctive diffraction pattern consisting of alternating bright and dark rings known as the Airy disk. Due to his significant contributions to the understanding of light and optics, this diffraction pattern and the beam of light passing through the aperture became known as the Airy beam.