Scaling the abruptly autofocusing beams in the direct-space

International audienceWe propose a simple technique to scale the abruptly autofocusing beams in the direct space by introducing a scaling factor in the phase. Analytical formulas are deduced based on optical caustics, explicitly revealing how the scaling factor controls location, peak intensity, and size of the focal spot. We demonstrate that the multiplication of a scaling factor on the phase is equivalent to the axial-scaling transformation under the paraxial approximation. Further numerical and experimental results confirm theoretical predictions. In addition, amplitude modulation using phase-only holograms is used to maintain the peak intensity level of the focal spots