Threaded-chiral media: reflectors for elliptically polarized light

Ian J. Hodgkinson; Qi Hong Wu; Lakshman De Silva; Matthew Arnold

doi:10.1117/12.559144

2 August 2004 Threaded-chiral media: reflectors for elliptically polarized light

Ian J. Hodgkinson, Qi Hong Wu, Lakshman De Silva, Matthew Arnold

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 5508, Complex Mediums V: Light and Complexity; (2004) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.559144
Event: Optical Science and Technology, the SPIE 49th Annual Meeting, 2004, Denver, Colorado, United States

Abstract

Effective medium theory is applied to nanoengineered inorganic coatings in which a primary chiral medium (A) threads through a second medium (B) that may be isotropic, birefringent or chiral. In general A and B are represented by thin locally-birefringent layers with axes that rotate through the thickness of the coating. Local properties of the complex medium are represented by a Herpin birefringent period (A/2)B(A/2), with effective principal refractive indices and with thickness much less than the chiral period. The effect of changing the fraction fB of material B is considered. With simplicity of fabrication in mind, the special case in which A and B are identical apart from thickness and azimuthal orientation is developed. Then, by maintaining a constant optical thickness for the Herpin period, the circular Bragg resonant wavelength of the primary medium can be retained. As an example of the potential use of threaded-chiral materials, handed resonant reflectors for elliptically-polarized light are considered.

Citation Download Citation

Ian J. Hodgkinson, Qi Hong Wu, Lakshman De Silva, and Matthew Arnold "Threaded-chiral media: reflectors for elliptically polarized light", Proc. SPIE 5508, Complex Mediums V: Light and Complexity, (2 August 2004); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.559144

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