Analysis of beam parameters and obstacle size on the self-healing strength of radial carpet beams

Abstract In this study, we examine the self-healing dynamics of radial carpet beams (RCBs) through quantitative analysis of their propagation dynamics. We employ the transverse Poynting vector component and introduce a similarity function, quantifying the correspondence between intensity distributions of disturbed and undisturbed beams during propagation, to systematically compare their intensity patterns. A Gaussian-profile obstacle introduces perturbation by occluding one of the beams’ main intensity spots. Our focus lies on examining the influence of the radial grating’s spoke number, the obstacle’s dimensions, and the grating’s phase amplitude on the RCBs’ self-healing abilities. Our findings reveal that beams with a greater number of spokes, which suggests increased structural complexity, demonstrate enhanced self-healing characteristics. Additionally, larger obstacles require more extended propagation planes to achieve self-healing. Furthermore, at specific phase amplitudes of the radial gratings that yield complex intensity patterns, we observe an augmentation in self-healing strength. Our research also indicates that RCBs created by gratings with a higher spoke number exhibit superior self-healing strength compared to other structured beams, such as vortex Bessel–Gaussian, two-dimensional Airy, and Hermite–Gaussian beams, when faced with obstacles of identical size.