We introduce a new class of ($2+1$) dimensional circle Pearcey beams (CPBs) with the abruptly autofocusing (AAF) characteristics. Compared with circular Airy beams, CPBs can increase the peak intensity contrast, shorten the focus distance and, especially, eliminate the oscillation after the focal point. Furthermore, we discuss the influence of the optical vortices (including on-axis, off-axis, and vortex pairs) on the light intensity distribution of the CPBs during propagating.

Controlling the focal length and the intensity of the optical focus in the media is an important task. Here we investigate the propagation properties of the sharply autofocused ring Airy Gaussian vortex beams numerically and some numerical experiments are performed. We introduce the distribution factor b into the initial beams, and discuss the influences for the beams. With controlling the factor b, the beams that tend to a ring Airy vortex beam with the smaller value, or a hollow Gaussian vortex beam with the larger one. By a choice of initial launch condition, we find that the number of topological charge of the incident beams, as well as its size, greatly affect the focal intensity and the focal length of the autofocused ring Airy Gaussian vortex beams. Furthermore, we show that the off-axis autofocused ring Airy Gaussian beams with vortex pairs can be implemented.

Based on the Snyder–Mitchell model in the Cartesian coordinate system, exact analytical Hermite–Gaussian (HG) solutions are obtained in strongly nonlocal nonlinear media. The comparisons of analytical solutions with numerical simulations of the nonlocal nonlinear Schrödinger equation show that the analytical HG solutions are in good agreement with the numerical simulations in the case of strong nonlocality. Furthermore, we demonstrate that HG functions can be expressed as a linear superposition of individual Gaussian functions with a π phase difference under the appropriate conditions.

A virtual source that yields a family of a Pearcey wave is demonstrated. A closed-form expression is derived for the Pearcey wave that simplifies to the paraxial Pearcey beam (PB) in the appropriate limit. From the perturbative series representation of a complex-source-point spherical wave, an infinite series nonparaxial correction expression for a PB is obtained. The infinite series expression of a PB can give accuracy up to any order of the diffraction angle. By applying the integral representation of the Pearcey wave, the first three terms in the nonparaxial correction series to the paraxial PB are provided.

We show the tight-focusing properties of a linearly polarized circular Airy Gaussian vortex beam (CAiGVB) with a high-numerical-aperture objective lens; the light intensity distributions exhibit diversity with different positions of the vortex pairs (on-axis or off-axis vortex pairs). By choosing different optical distribution factors, the CAiGVB turns into a circular Airy vortex beam or Gaussian vortex beam, and the depth of focus can also be controlled. It is known that the vortex beam possesses both orbital and spin angular momentum. The spin density vector changes its direction in three-dimensional space during beam propagation, as long as it is not purely transverse or longitudinal, which would cause 3D polarization ellipse topologies. In contrast, the polarization topologies degenerate into 2D when the spin density vector is purely transverse or longitudinal. Furthermore, the direction of the spin density vector is closely related to the Gouy phase difference between longitudinal and transverse electric field components of the vectorial beam.