Work

Fast beam shape coefficient computation from continuous surface fields

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: A computationally efficient method is presented for computing beam shape coefficients (BSCs) from electromagnetic fields defined on regular, compact surfaces. By reformulating the BSC calculation as a continuous surface integral, the method eliminates the need for pointwise vector spherical harmonic (VSH) expansions, resulting in dramatic reductions in computation time. It enables fast and rigorous modeling of incident fields on planar surfaces and yields accurate approximations on curved surfaces with radii exceeding two wavelengths. Demonstrated runtime reductions exceed 1000× on consumer-level hardware. Applications include optical tweezers, optical force analysis, and advanced beam synthesis.

Source: Optics Letters

DOI: 10.1364/ol.567786

Authors: Joel Lamberg, Lars Lamberg, Zachary Taylor

Institution: Aalto University

Language: English

Topic: Orbital Angular Momentum in Optics

Subfield: Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics

Field: Physics and Astronomy

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funders: Magnus Ehrnroothin Säätiö, Teknologiateollisuuden 100-Vuotisjuhlasäätiö, Business Finland

Award: Research to Business — Aalto-korkeakoulusäätiö sr (7383/31/2023)