Multiple self-healing Bloch surface wave beams generated by a two-dimensional fraxicon

Abstract Two-dimensional surface waves are a cornerstone for future integrated photonic circuits. They can also be beneficially exploited in sensing devices by offering dark-field illuminations of objects. One major problem in sensing schemes arises from the individual sensing objects: the interaction of surface waves with an object reduces the field amplitude, and the readout of other objects along the propagation path suffers from this reduced signal. Here we show in two experiments that nondiffracting and self-healing Bloch surface waves can be launched using a Fresnel axicon (i.e., fraxicon). First, we visualize the generation of an array of multiple focal spots by scanning near-field optical microscopy in the infrared. With a second device operating in the visible, we demonstrate the self-healing effect directly using a far-field readout method by placing metallic nanoantennas onto the multiple focal spots of the fraxicon. Our study extends the versatile illumination capabilities of surface wave systems.