3 papers
physics.optics2026
Free-space Optical Diffraction and the Fisher Information
Jonathan M. Nichols, Frank Bucholtz
Using the transport-of-intensity approach for free-space optical propagation in the paraxial regime, we show that diffraction is fundamentally related to the Fisher information ass…
physics.optics2025
A General Model for Linearly Polarized Optical Vector Beams
Jonathan Nichols, Frank Bucholtz
We propose an approach for deriving a broad class of propagation models for inhomogeneously, linearly polarized ``vector'' beams. Our formulation leverages a complex scalar potenti…
physics.optics2025
Transverse Momentum Exchange in Optical Vector Beam Propagation: Theory and Experiment
J. M. Nichols, D. V. Nickel, F. Bucholtz
In this work we present a model for the paraxial propagation of vector beams. Of particular importance is the appearance of a new transverse momentum term proportional to the linea…