Exploiting the Goos-Hänchen and Imbert-Fedorov effects in a magneto-electric liquid-crystal-based system for applications to tunable chemical vapor detection

Abstract

We present a theoretical investigation of the Goos-Hanchen and Imbert-Fedorov shifts of a Gaussian light beam upon reflection from a multilayered structure consisting of a ne-matic liquid crystal cell sandwiched between electrodes and deposited on a magneto-electric/non-magnetic bilayer. We show that the Goos-Hanchen shift, in contrast to the Imbert-Fedorov shift, can be enhanced and controlled both via a voltage applied to the liquid crystal cell and a magnetization reversal in the magneto-electric film. We describe the principle of an optical sensor of chemical vapors in the vicinity of the structure based on the voltage-induced tunability of the Goos-Hanchen shift.