Two bases (one biorthogonal and one orthonormal) are proposed for the expansion of strongly focused (high numerical aperture) scalar monochromatic fields. The performance of these bases is tested and compared, both with each other and with a similar basis proposed by Alonso et al. [ Opt. Express 14, 6894 (2006) ]. It is found that the orthonormal basis proposed herein exhibits the lowest truncation error of these three bases for the same truncation order for the examples considered. Additionally, this basis is advantageous because it allows for the expansion of fields without rotational symmetry.
© 2009 Optical Society of America
Original Manuscript: February 10, 2009
Manuscript Accepted: May 2, 2009
Published: June 30, 2009
Nicole J. Moore and Miguel A. Alonso, "Bases for the description of monochromatic, strongly focused, scalar fields," J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 26, 1754-1761 (2009)