Polarization dependence of the optical absorption of single-walled carbon nanotubes

Anisotropic optical absorption properties of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) are determined from a vertically aligned SWNT film for 0.5-6 eV. Absorption peaks at 4.5 and 5.25 eV are found to exhibit remarkable polarization dependence and have relevance to optical properties of graphite. A method for determining a nematic order parameter for an aligned SWNT film based on the collinear absorption peak at 4.5 eV is presented, followed by the determination of the optical absorption cross section.     

A high-efficient method for generating radially and azimuthally polarized Bessel beams using biaxial crystals

As was shown previously, in propagation of a circularly polarized Bessel light beam along the optical axes of a biaxial crystal, there takes place the conversion of the order of Bessel function. In this paper, a new result is presented which is obtained by varying the polarization state of an input beam. Namely, a linearly polarized beam can be transformed into a beam with the radial or azimuthal polarization state. At that the order-transformation also occurs. The switching between radial and azimuthal polarization states of the output beam is performed by the proper switching between two orthogonal linear polarization states of the input beam. The efficiency of polarization conversion is high and can be practically full at an appropriate choice of the cone angle of the input beam or crystal length.     

Effect of polarization on focal depth in high numerical apertures optical systems

The generalized cylindrical vector beam is just a linear combination of radial and azimuthal polarization. For radially polarized light in the focal plane, there are two electric field components, the radial component and z-component whose magnitude increase with the increase of numerical aperture. By contrast, for azimuthally polarized light in the focal plane, there is only one electrical field component in the azimuthal polarization, it is easy to understand the difference between the two polarization effects. In this paper, we demonstrate how this phenomenon can be harnessed to make a properly selected polarization component to achieve high focal depth in high numerical aperture systems. Numerical simulations show that the evolution of the focal shape is very considerable by changing polarization rotation angle of the generalized cylindrical vector beam. And some interesting focal spots and focal split may occur. And if the ratio of radial and azimuthal polarization is set properly by changing the polarization rotation angle, a largest focal depth is achieved. The tunable range of the focal depth is very considerable. The ratio of radial and azimuthal polarization is different in different NA optical system for obtaining the largest focal depth. We will denote a technique of polarization-assisted high focal depth in high numerical aperture systems.     

Circularly polarized soft X-ray generation by Co/Pt thin film polarizer with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy

We have experimentally demonstrated circular polarization generation from linear polarized soft X-ray at synchrotron by adopting a thin magnetic film polarizer. Polarizer is composed of Co/Pt multilayer with a perpendicular magnetic anisotropy, which allows us to easily accommodate without needing any tilting angle into the measurement setup since the circular polarization is generated for the X-ray with normal incidence and transmission. Generated circular polarization is examined by observing magnetic domain features based on the X-ray magnetic circular dichroism, where ∼11% of circular component is estimated compared to the case of full circular polarization.     

Effect of chromaticity on quarter-wave retarder performance

When a polarized polychromatic beam passes through a birefringent medium, the constituent spectral components suffer different change of state of polarization. As a result when the beam passes through an analyzer, the intensity of the resultant beam changes depending on the orientation of the analyzer, state of polarization of the input beam, spectral and spatial intensity distribution of the source and the polarizing properties of the birefringent medium. In the present study the intensity variation of the resulting beam passing through a quarter-wave retarder plate is observed theoretically with the variation of the azimuthal angle of the analyzer for monochromatic and polychromatic source of light. A simple experiment is conducted to observe the intensity variation for an incandescent lamp and HeNe laser as polychromatic and monochromatic source of light passing through a birefringent polymer-based quarter-wave retarder plate. The experimentally obtained values are compared with theoretical values and a good agreement is observed.     

Exact Spin Coherent State Path Integral for a Damped Two-Level Atom in an Electromagnetic Wave

The spin coherent state path integral describing the dynamics of a two-level system interacting with electromagnetic wave of circular polarization is considered. The propagator is first written in the standard form by replacing the spin by a unit vector aligned along the polar and azimuthal directions. Then it is determined exactly using a simple transformations. Thus, the exact energy spectra with corresponding wave functions are deduced.     

Enhanced polarization conversion for an anisotropic thin film

This work presents an explicit expression for the reflection and transmission coefficients of an anisotropic thin film in the general case in which the optical axis and the incident ray are arbitrarily directed in three dimensions. The polarization conversion quantities for reflected light from an anisotropic thin film are calculated and analyzed for two three-layered systems. With light incident from a dense medium, polarization conversion will be enhanced at a particular incident angle that exceeds the critical angle.     

Simple Nd:YAG laser generates vector and vortex beam

We report a simple Nd:YAG laser that emits radially polarized beam with helical wavefront. The laser cavity consists of a piece of laser crystal and a plane output coupler, and there is no additional polarization component inside it. The pump light is converted into annular profile through de-focal coupling into a multi-mode fiber. For the continuous-wave(CW) operation, the laser emits radially polarized vortex beam, and it is observed that the helical wavefront of the laser beam is switched from right handedness to left handedness when the output coupler is tilted slightly. For the Q-switched operation under the insertion of a Cr4t:YAG saturable absorber inside the cavity, we obtain radially polarized outputs with left-handedness helical wavefront. By tilting the laser crystal slightly, the laser output switches to azimuthal polarization at pump power larger than 4.5 W and left-handedness helical wavefront of laser beam is preserved.     

Polarization property of light guide surface with bilayered nanostructure

The surface of a solid plate light guide patterned with nanostructure composed of bilayered dielectric and metallic stripes is capable of partially transmitting only one of two orthogonal polarizations while reflecting most of the other, and therefore performs as a reflective polarizer. The polarization dependent transmittance, polarization efficiency and extinction ratio of both parallel and cross stacking of the bilayered nanostructure have been analyzed for all radial and azimuthal light incident angles. Both configurations have shown overall polarization efficiency above 98% over the visible spectrum, and exhibit an extinction ratio above 1,000 within a specific range of light incident angle. Accompanied by a proper polarization converter and light extraction pattern, the polarized light guide can provide a high efficiency or even a polarizer free illumination optics for an application where a planar illuminator with polarized light is required.     

Polarization modulation in single-frequency He-Ne laser with an anisotropy feedback cavity

The polarization state is modulated by tilting birefringence component placed in the feedback external cavity.The variation of the polarization state in one period of modulation is found to be similar to sine wave.The periods become increasingly smaller.The maximum of variation in one period decreases against the rotated angle.The experimental phenomenon is subjected to the change of optical path and secondary reflection.The phenomenon is analyzed theoretically based on geometrical optics and crystal optics.High-accuracy measurements of absolute and relative angles can be realized based on the experimental phenomenon.The angle resolution is 0.1 arcsec in theory.     

Aligned silicon nanowires with fine‐tunable tilting angles by metal‐assisted chemical etching on off‐cut wafers

The morphology control of aligned silicon nanowires (SiNWs) is highly desirable as SiNWs demonstrated high prospect in a variety of applications. Besides the control over length, shape and distribution of aligned SiNWs, the fine‐tuning of tilting angles thereof also attracted intense interest. Up to now, only several discrete tilting angles have been reported. In this Letter, the ability to fine‐tune the tilting angle of SiNWs is demonstrated and the range that can be achieved is identified. Our technique employs the anisotropic characteristic of the etching process using custom‐produced off‐cut Si wafers of various orientations as substrates. With this technique, a uniquely favoured etching direction can result and the tilting angle can be precisely controlled. Tilted SiNWs with tilting angles from 0° to 50° relative to the wafer normal were obtained. The mechanism of the tilting angle manipulation is also discussed. (© 2013 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Scattering of partially polarized light by aligned atoms

A compact expression for the cross section of scattering of an arbitrarily polarized light by aligned atomic systems is obtained, in which the dependence on the geometric parameters and the Stokes parameters specifying the state of partial polarization of the incident radiation is represented in explicit form. The effect of atomic alignment and the processes of dissipation of the light energy on the polarization specific features and the angular distribution of the scattered light is investigated. In particular, it is shown that, if a dissipative channel is accessible, the angular distribution and the degree of linear polarization of scattered light depend on the degree of circular polarization of the incident radiation η₂. Dissipative processes also induce the circular polarization of the light scattered by aligned atoms when η₂=0.     

Symmetry properties of three-dimensional magnetization distributions induced by focused circularly polarized lights

We analyze symmetry properties of the three-dimensional magnetization distribution in the optic-magneto film induced by focused circularly polarized lights. The magnetization distributions are derived and evaluated based on the vector diffraction theory and the inverse Faraday effect of the isotropic and nonmagnetically ordered material. It is shown that for any radial symmetrical amplitude, phase, or hybrid amplitude-phase pupil filter, the magnetization distribution of the axial component is circular symmetric but those of the radial and azimuthal components are annular symmetric with regard to the optical axis. All of the three components have a symmetric distribution with regard to the focal plane. The direction of both axial and radial components can be inversed with the helicity of incident circularly polarized light but the direction of azimuthal component is independent of helicity. The axial component has a decisive effect to all-optical magnetic recording, and within the effective axial range, the size of its magnetization domain hardly expands in the transverse direction.     

Modulation of the polarization state of light using a weak anisotropic thin film

The polarization state of light is modulated by an anisotropic thin film. An anisotropic MgF(2) film is deposited onto a plate that is put in contact with a BK7 prism to form a BK7 prism/film/air configuration. It is shown that the polarization state of reflected light can be easily modulated from a linear state to a circular state by rotating the thin-film plate.     

一种高精度偏振遥感探测方式的精度分析

检偏器的角度误差是影响偏振遥感探测精度的重要因素之一,是许多高精度定量化偏振遥感需要考虑的一个问题。在检偏器(0°,60°,120°)放置的测量系统中,当入射光偏振角接近于0°或180°时偏振测量易产生最大误差值,而偏振角接近30°,90°和150°时,偏振度的测量具有很高的精度;在检偏器(0°,45°,90°)放置方式中,偏振角接近45°的光束测量易具有最大误差值,而偏振角接近于0°,90°和135°时,角度误差对偏振度测量精度的影响很小。除了个别偏振角外,对高偏振度入射光束的偏振测量通常具有较大的偏振测量误差。因此,引进线偏振光的平均偏振度测量精度描述偏振测量装置的优劣,结果表明检偏器(0°,60°,120°)放置方式优于检偏器(0°,45°,90°)放置方式。     

Generation of an axial magnetic field from photon spin

In circularly polarized light the spins of the photons are aligned. When a short intense pulse of circularly polarized laser light is absorbed by a plasma, a torque is delivered initially to the electron species, resulting primarily in an opposing torque from an induced azimuthal electric field. This electric field, in general, has a curl and leads to the generation of an axial magnetic field. It also is the main means for transferring angular momentum to the ions. The time-dependent magnetic field has a magnitude proportional to the transverse gradient of the absorbed intensity but inversely proportional to the electron density, in contrast to earlier theories of the inverse Faraday effect.     

布儒斯特角切割LiNbO3晶体的偏振态分析

基于琼斯矩阵和菲涅耳公式,建立了偏振光透过LiNbO3晶体的分析模型,研究了入射光偏振态、晶压等参数对输出光偏振态和p偏振态、s偏振态透射率的影响规律。搭建了分别含单块LiNbO3晶体、LiNbO3晶体和薄片、两块串联LiNbO3晶体的Ho,Tm,Cr:YAG激光电光调Q实验装置,并测得了输出激光的偏振态、输出能量等随晶压的变化关系曲线。     

Optical and magneto–optical properties of periodic Co double layer film

Co double layer film （CoDLF） consisting of a disk-array layer and an antidot-array layer, both with square order, was investigated. Both the reflectivity and Kerr spectra of CoDLF show anisotropic effects when the azimuthal angle of incident light changes. From the simulation result of surface plasmon polaritons （SPPs）, we attribute the reflectivity minima and Kerr angle maxima in the spectra mainly to the excitation of different diffractional orders＇ SPPs. More interestingly, the Kerr angle changes sign at specific wavelengths. We attribute these phenomena to the excitation of SPPs and localized surface plasmons （LSPs）, and the interaction between them.     

Three-dimensional polarization control in microscopy

We propose an approach to optical microscopy that enables full control over the three-dimensional polarization vector at the focal spot of a high-numerical-aperture lens. The input field to the lens is linearly polarized and no polarization optics are needed. This technique utilizes the azimuthal spatial degree of freedom of the input field. We find that only a small set of low-order azimuthal spatial harmonics contributes to the focused field on axis, and a simple transformation exists between the linear vector space of these harmonics and the three-dimensional polarization-vector space. Controlling the relative complex weights of these azimuthal harmonics produces any desired three-dimensional state of polarization.     

Dependence of extinction cross-section on incident polarization state and particle orientation

This note reports on the effects of the polarization state of an incident quasi-monochromatic parallel beam of radiation and the orientation of a hexagonal ice particle with respect to the incident direction on the extinction process. When the incident beam is aligned with the six-fold rotational symmetry axis, the extinction is independent of the polarization state of the incident light. For other orientations, the extinction cross-section for linearly polarized light can be either larger or smaller than its counterpart for an unpolarized incident beam. Therefore, the attenuation of a quasi-monochromatic radiation beam by an ice cloud depends on the polarization state of the beam if ice crystals within the cloud are not randomly oriented. Furthermore, a case study of the extinction of light by a quartz particle is also presented to illustrate the dependence of the extinction cross-section on the polarization state of the incident light.