Diffraction-free beams in thin films.

The propagation and transmission of Bessel beams through nano-layered structures has been discussed recently. Within this framework we recognize the formation of unguided diffraction-free waves with the spot size approaching and occasionally surpassing the limit of a wavelength when a Bessel beam of any order n is launched onto a thin material slab with grazing incidence. On the basis of the plane-wave representation of cylindrical waves, a simple model is introduced providing an exact description of the transverse pattern of this type of diffraction-suppressed localized wave. Potential applications in surface science are put forward for consideration.