Focusing surface waves using an axicon

Abstract

Axicons are generators of waves which focus on a line. They are used in various imaging and nondestructive testing applications as bulk wave focusing devices with a very long depth of focus. In this letter, a new type of conical axicon is introduced and it is shown that this axicon, immersed in a liquid, insonifying a plane solid surface can be used to excite surface waves on the solid surface provided that the cone angle of the axicon coincides with the Rayleigh critical angle of the liquid‐solid interface. The generated surface waves focus into a diffraction‐limited spot. This new surface wave focusing scheme is easy to use, has a conversion efficiency and sensitivity far better than other existing techniques.