Transmission of a few-Cycle Femtosecond Pulse Through an Optically Thin Plate

Abstract

The article examines the interaction of a few-cycle optical pulse with an optically thin transparent and/or absorbing layer. The reflection of light energy is shown to be nonmonotone depending on layer thickness. The interaction of a few-cycle light pulse with the layer may produce total transparency of the layer for pulses of a certain carrier frequency. Absorption in the layer also has a nonmonotone effect on both reflected and transmitted light energy. The energy absorbed in the layer may decrease with increasing layer absorption coefficient due to the increase of energy reflection from the layer. The layer thickness when the reflected energy is maximized depends on the electrical conductivity of the medium. Under certain conditions, the interaction of the light pulse with the optically thin plate may essentially alter the spectrum of the reflected pulse and, in particular, its absolute phase, which depends on plate thickness. This property can be exploited in applications to generate few-cycle pulses with the required absolute phase.