Analysis of ellipsometric parameters in the reflection of circularly polarized light from a thin anisotropic plate

Abstract

The article presents the results of the analysis of the angular spectra of the ellipsometric parameters of the reflected wave when a circularly polarized light wave is incident on an anisotropic plate. The given dependences show a very high sensitivity of the ellipsometric parameters of the reflected light on the angle of incidence and the angle between the optical axis and the normal to the plate boundary. The energy reflection spectra themselves show much less variability when these parameters change. It should be especially emphasized the nature of the change in the ellipsometric angle Δ, which is responsible for the type of elliptical polarization - when Δ> 0, the polarization is left-handed, and when Δ <0, it is right-handed. It is shown that a thin anisotropic plate at certain angles can serve as a polarization converter of the incident radiation. The ellipsometry parameter ρ characterizes the degree of compression of the ellipse - when ρ = 1, the ellipse is transformed into a circle, and the light is circularly polarized in this case. Thus, a thin anisotropic plate can not only convert left-handed polarization to right-handed, but it can also control the very shape of the polarization ellipse. Such a plate can be used in conjunction with a layered medium, for example, a one-dimensional photonic crystal, to control the polarization of the incident circularly polarized light.