Theoretical investigation of underwater zero-order Bessel beam generation and propagation characteristics

Abstract Thanks to the non-diffractive and self-healing properties, Bessel beam (BB) has widely studied in both scientific and application fields, particularly in air, water, and high-scattering media. However, there is limited theoretical research on the generation and transmission of underwater BB. In this paper, based on geometric optics theory and considering the interference properties of the axicon, the non-diffractive distance of the underwater BB is derived theoretically, and an analytical expression is obtained. Additionally, the light field expression of the underwater BB is derived to validate the accuracy of the non-diffractive distance. Simulation results indicate that, for the same axicon and a 532 nm laser, the non-diffractive distance of the BB generated in water is 4.71 times greater than that in air. Compared to conventional Gaussian beams, BB exhibit non-diffractive and self-healing characteristics, offering improved noise tolerance in turbid water. This paper provides a theoretical derivation for calculating the non-diffractive distance of underwater BB and demonstrates their superior transmission performance underwater. These findings offer a theoretical foundation for using BB as light sources in underwater research and present new solutions for underwater sensing, trapping, and quantum science.