Photonics Research, 2020, 8 (4): 04000475, Published Online: Mar. 18, 2020
Self-accelerated optical activity in free space induced by the Gouy phase
Abstract
Optical activity (OA) is the rotation of the polarization orientation of the linearly polarized light as it travels through certain materials that are of mirror asymmetry, including gases or solutions of chiral molecules such as sugars and proteins, as well as metamaterials. The necessary condition for achieving OA is the birefringence of two circular polarizations in material. Here, we propose a new kind of self-accelerated OA in free space, based on the intrinsic Gouy phase induced mode birefringence of two kinds of quasi-non-diffracting beams. We provide a detailed insight into this kind of self-accelerated OA by analyzing angular parameters, including angular direction, velocity, acceleration, and even the polarization transformation trajectory. As the Gouy phase exists for any wave, this kind of self-accelerated OA can be implemented in other waves beyond optics, from acoustic and elastic waves to matter waves.
Peng Li, Xinhao Fan, Dongjing Wu, Sheng Liu, Yu Li, Jianlin Zhao. Self-accelerated optical activity in free space induced by the Gouy phase[J]. Photonics Research, 2020, 8(4): 04000475.