Meters-long propagation of diffraction-free space-time light-sheets

Space-time (ST) wave packets are pulsed beams in which the spatial frequencies and wavelengths are tightly correlated. Proper design of the functional form of these correlations results in diffraction-free and dispersion-free axial propagation; that is, propagation invariance in free space. To date, observed propagation distances of such ST wave packets has been on the order of a few centimeters. Here we synthesize an ST wave packet in the form of a pulsed optical sheet of transverse spatial width similar to 200 mu m and spectral bandwidth of similar to 2 nm, and observe its diffraction-free propagation for approximately 6 meters. For such ST wave packets, we identify the spectral uncertainty-the precision in associating the spatial and temporal frequencies-as a critical parameter in determining the propagation-invariant distance. We present a design strategy and an experimental methodology that enables further increase in the diffraction-free length. (c) 2018 Optical Society of America