abstract
- © 2016 SPIE.The commutation between the Helmholtz equation and the derivative operator allows us to generate novel nondiffracting beams. We apply a general differential operator to Bessel beams and study the resulting phase structure and orbital angular momentum (OAM). We find the parameters that preserve the OAM of the seed beam and show how to produce and control shape preserving vortex arrays. In analogy to the Poincaré sphere, our approach is used to develop an operator sphere connecting higher-order Bessel beams.