Unified description of nondiffracting X and Y waves

A unified spectral and temporal representation is introduced for nondiffracting waves. We consider a set of elementary broadband X waves that spans the commonly considered nondiffracting wave solutions. These basis X waves have a simple spectral representation that leads to expressions in closed algebraic form or, alternatively, in terms of hypergeometric functions. The span of the X waves is also closed with respect to all spatial and temporal derivatives and, consequently, they can be used to compose different types of waves with complex spectral and spatial properties. The unified description of Bessel-based nondiffracting waves is further extended to include singular Neumann and Hankel waves, or Y waves. We also discuss connections between the different known nondiffracting wave solutions, and their relations to the present unified approach.