Ring pattern of a lens–axicon doublet illuminated by a Gaussian beam

An axicon and a lens are combined to form an optical system producing a ring-shaped pattern. The purpose of this paper is to show that when a lens-axicon combination is illuminated by a Gaussian beam, the transverse distribution of the focal ring is also a Gaussian distribution. The typical width of this distribution was found to be, in the case of the lens-axicon combination, 1.65 times greater than the typical width of the Gaussian beam obtained by focusing the same beam using the lens alone. This focusing system is well suited for the drilling of good quality large diameter holes using a high power laser beam.