LAUSR

Abstract We report the observation of a composite Airy-like accelerating beam generated by a discrete vortex-cubic phase mask (DVCPM) based on the holographic technique. Such beam splits itself into several separated two-dimensional (2-D) Airy-like beams along the propagating with acceleration on a parabolic path, and the separated 2-D Airy-like beams finally evolve into one-dimensional (1-D) Airy-like beams. Furthermore, the accelerating beam, which can be modulated by tuning the radial discrete parameter N and azimuthal discrete parameter ΔL of the DVCPM, still possesses the characteristic of self-healing.