On the validity of localized approximation for an on-axis zeroth-order Bessel beam

•The localized approximation has been widely used to evaluate the Beam Shape Coefficients (BSCs) of Bessel beams.•The validity of this approximation is examined in the case of an on-axis zeroth-order Bessel beam.•It is demonstrated, in this specific example, that the localized approximation is efficient only for small enough axicon angles.•It is easily argued that this result must remain true for any kind of Bessel beams.

Localized approximation procedures are efficient ways to evaluate beam shape coefficients of laser beams, and are particularly useful when other methods are ineffective or inefficient. Several papers in the literature have reported the use of such procedures to evaluate the beam shape coefficients of Bessel beams. Examining the specific case of an on-axis zeroth-order Bessel beam, we demonstrate that localized approximation procedures are valid only for small axicon angles.