Linear and Nonlinear Control of Ballistic Trajectory of Airy Beams

We demonstrate linear and nonlinear control of the ballistic trajectory of an optical beam. Such control is realized by sending a Gaussian beam into a phase mask and then turn it into an accelerating Airy beam. We show how an optical beam can be set into motion in a general ballistic trajectory, while the range and height of the trajectory can be controlled at ease. In addition, we study linear propagation of deformed Airy beams in free space by varying the angle between two "wings", which leads to wing flipping and change in acceleration. Finally, we demonstrate nonlinear control of two-dimensional Airy beams with self-focusing and self-defocusing nonlinearities, and found that the Airy beams initially driven by a self-defocusing nonlinearity exhibit anomalous diffraction and can be more robust as compared to those driven by a self-focusing nonlinearity. Our results bring about a possibility to send an intense laser beam into any desired location, passing through disordered media and getting over obstacles.