Quantum weak measurement of Goos–Hänchen effect of light in total internal reflection using a Gaussian-mode laser beam

Abstract

We report a detailed experimental demonstration of the Goos–Hänchen (GH) shift of light in total internal reflection condition for a Gaussian mode laser beam of 633 nm passing through an air-glass interface. The quantum weak measurement (QWM) technique has been exploited as a weak value amplification scheme to observe the amplified optical GH shift. The amplification of the GH shift depends on the angular deviation from the exact orthogonal position required for weak measurement. We have subsequently investigated the profiles of the beam pattern and their horizontal and vertical shifts in detail. We also show that the beam shift values obtained experimentally agree well with the theoretical results for a specific choice of angle of deviation from the orthogonal condition of weak measurement. Our results clearly demonstrate the advantages of the QWM technique for amplifying and detecting tiny optical beam shift effects and may provide important applications in precision metrology.