Configuration of singular optical cones in gyrotropic crystals with dichroism

Abstract

Optical conic singularities in crystals with linear dichroism and natural optical activity at the point of intersection of dispersion curves for the main refractive indices are considered. The possible existence of singularities like a nodal point, tangency point, triple point, and cusps of the first and second order is demonstrated. Forty-nine different types of irreducible fourth-order optical cones obtained by sequential bifurcations of eight main singular cones are established. The classification is based on the concept of roughness of systems depending on parameters.