Generalized solution of the paraxial equation

Abstract: A fairly general expression for a light beam is found as a solution of the paraxial Helmholtz equation. It is achieved by exploiting appropriately chosen complex variables which entail the separability of the equation. Next, the expression for the beam is obtained independently by superimposing shifted Gaussian beams, whereby the shift can be made either by a real vector (in which case the foci of the Gaussian beams are located on a circle) or by a complex one. The solutions found depend on several parameters, the specific choice of which allows to obtain beams with quite different properties. For several selected parameter values figures are drawn, demonstrating the spatial distribution of the energy density and phase. In special cases, the effect of a shift of the intensity peak from one branch to another and phase singularities are observed.