Circular Birefringence Research Articles

Propagation of spatiotemporal Airy-Laguerre complex-variable-function Gaussian wave packets in a chiral medium

We analyze the propagation of spatiotemporal Airy-Laguerre complex-variable-function Gaussian (ALCG) wave packets using phase modulation. These wave packets can split into left circularly polarized ALCG (LCP-ALCG) and right circularly polarized ALCG (RCP-ALCG) components due to circular birefringence in a chiral medium. Our discussion primarily focuses on the effects of polynomial order, angle parameters, distribution factor, cross-phase factor, first-order chirp factor, and chiral parameter on the ALCG wave packets. The distinct LCP-ALCG and RCP-ALCG wave packet characteristics are obtained, and the radiation forces on Rayleigh dielectric particles are investigated. Our results emphasize the influence of various parameters in the propagation properties of ALCG wave packets, unveiling their potential for advancements in optical communication and optical trapping domains.

Manipulation of Magnonic Activity by Electric Currents in Ferromagnetic Nanocylinders

Electric currents passing through ferromagnets can impact the magnetization dynamics via the so-called spin-transfer torque (STT) effect. In this paper, we present a theoretical study on the current influence on magnonic activity, a recently reported spin wave (SW) chiral effect in ferromagnetic nanotubes. By micromagnetic simulations, we show that an electric current can cause a significant change in the rotatory power of the SW modes propagating in a longitudinally magnetized nanotube. This result is well explained by using the Fresnel model in optics assuming a SW circular birefringence. An analytical method is developed to solve the first-order mode, yielding perfect agreements with the numerical results. Our results provide a new approach to manipulate the SW propagating properties in ferromagnetic nanocylinders.

Topological‐Charge‐Dependent Dichroism and Birefringence of Optical Vortices

AbstractMaterial anisotropy and chirality produce polarization‐dependent light‐matter interactions. Absorption leads to linear and circular dichroism, whereas elastic forward scattering produces linear and circular birefringence. Here a form of dichroism and birefringence is highlighted whereby generic anisotropic media display locally different absorption and scattering of a focused vortex beam that depends upon the sign of the topological charge . The light‐matter interactions described in this work manifest purely through dominant electric‐dipole coupling mechanisms and depend on the paraxial parameter to first‐order. Previous topological‐charge‐dependent light‐matter interactions require the significantly weaker higher‐order multipole moments and are proportional to the paraxial parameter to second‐order. The result represents a method of probing the nano‐optics of advanced materials and the topological properties of structured light.

Characterization of polarization properties of colorectal cancer using decomposition Mueller matrix method

Rectal cancer is the third most prevalent cancer diagnosed and is traditionally screened using colonoscopy. Meanwhile, polarization characteristic measurement has emerged as an attractive alternative in recent years owing to its deep analysis of the structure of samples and non-invasive nature. Accordingly, this study employed the Mueller matrix decomposition method to measure the effective optical parameters of 100 slices from 20 healthy rectal tissue samples and 100 slices from 20 cancerous rectal tissue samples. The mean values and expression levels of the linear birefringence, circular birefringence, linear dichroism, circular dichroism, and depolarization index properties of the samples were compared using t-tests and ANOVA tests. The experimental results showed that the linear birefringence, orientation angle of linear dichroism, and values of linear dichroism and circular dichroism showed significant differences between the different tissue types. Thus, these parameters may serve as useful biomarkers for the diagnosis of rectal cancer.

Annealing temperature-dependent induced supramolecular chiroptical response of copolymer thin films studied by pump-modulated transient circular dichroism spectroscopy

Copolymer thin films showing induced supramolecular chirality are of considerable interest for optoelectronic applications such as organic light-emitting diodes. Here, we introduce a new helicene-like chiral additive with two octyloxy substituents which displays excellent chiral induction properties in an achiral polyfluorene copolymer, leading to a circular dichroism (CD) response of up to 10,000 mdeg. This chiral inducer also displays very good thermal stability, which enables us to perform an extended study on the induced chiroptical properties of the cholesteric copolymer thin films annealed at different temperatures in the range 140–260 °C. Starting from about 180 °C, a distinct change in the morphology of the CD-active film is observed by CD microscopy, from micrometre-size granular to extended CD-active regions, where the latter ones display skewed distributions of the dissymmetry parameter gabs. Broadband Müller matrix spectroscopy finds a pronounced CD and circular birefringence (CB) response and only weak linear dichroism (LD, LD’) and linear birefringence (LB, LB’). Ultrafast transient CD spectroscopy with randomly polarised excitation reveals a clean mirror-image-type transient response, which shows a second-order decay of the S1 population due to singlet–singlet annihilation processes.

Orbital angular momentum modes in dielectrically chiral-core fibers

In this paper, we investigate a dielectrically chiral-core fiber for the generation of orbital angular momentum (OAM) modes. We observe that the presence of chirality induces a modal index split between the same order OAM modes with opposite topological charges and arbitrary phase front rotation directions, which are originally degenerate in achiral fibers. This split indicates the existence of circular birefringence (CB) associated with a dielectric chirality. The modal cutoff splitting results in a single polarization property without the possibility of coupling between the same order modes that correspond to a single +l or −l OAM mode guiding. However, neither of the two fundamental modes guided by the chiral fiber exhibits a cutoff, despite having different modal indices due to chirality. Upon fraction of modal power cutoff, the high-order modes in the core region display different cutoff fractions of modal power between the same order modes, while the fundamental mode has no cutoff fraction of modal power. Due to CB and different fractions of modal power in the core for different handed OAM modes, dielectrically chiral fibers have potential applications in chiral sensing, circular polarization-dependent OAM mode filters, and new kinds of OAM mode generators.

Left and Right‐Handed Light Reflection and Emission in Ultrathin Cellulose Nanocrystals Films with Printed Helicity

AbstractNatural polymers, particularly plant‐derived nanocelluloses, self‐organize into hierarchical structures, enabling mechanical robustness, bright iridescence, emission, and polarized light reflection. These biophotonic properties are facilitated by the assembly of individual components during evaporation, such as cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs), which exhibit a left‐handed helical pitch in a chiral nematic state. This work demonstrates how optically active films with pre‐programmed opposite handedness (left or right) can be constructed via shear‐induced twisted printing with clockwise and counter‐clockwise shearing vectors. The resulting large‐area thin films are transparent yet exhibit pre‐determined mirror‐symmetrical optical activity, enabling the distinction of absorbed and emitted circularly polarized light. This processing method allows for sequential printing of thin and ultrathin films with twisted layered organization and on‐demand helicity. The complex light polarization behavior is due to step‐like changes in linear birefringence within each deposited layer and circular birefringence, different from that of conventional CNC films as revealed with Muller matrix analysis. Furthermore, intercalating an achiral organic dye into printed structures induces circularly polarized luminescence while preserving high transmittance and controlled handedness. These results suggest that twisted sequential printing can facilitate the construction of chiroptical metamaterials with tunable circular polarization, absorption, and emission for optical filters, encryption, photonic coatings, and chiral sensors.

New Insights on Solvent-Induced Changes in Refractivity and Specific Rotation of Poly(propylene oxide) Systems Extracted from Channeled Spectra.

Investigation of chiroptical polymers in the solution phase is paramount for designing supramolecular architectures for photonic or biomedical devices. This work is devoted to the case study of poly(propylene oxide) (PPO) optical activity in several solvents: benzonitrile, carbon disulfide, chloroform, ethyl acetate, and p-dioxane. To attain information on the interactions in these systems, rheological testing was undertaken, showing distinct variations of the rheological parameters as a function of the solvent type. These aspects are also reflected in the refractive index dispersive behavior, from which linear and non-linear optical properties are extracted. To determine the circular birefringence and specific rotation of the PPO solutions, the alternative method of the channeled spectra was employed. The spectral data were correlated with the molecular modeling of the PPO structural unit in the selected solvents. Density functional theory (DFT) computational data indicated that the torsional potential energy-related to the O1-C2-C3-O4 dihedral angle from the polymer repeating unit-was hindered in solvation environments characterized by high polarity and the ability to interact via hydrogen bonding. This was in agreement with the optical characterization of the samples, which indicated a lower circular birefringence and specific rotation for the solutions of PPO in ethyl acetate and p-dioxane. Also, the shape of optical rotatory dispersion curves was slightly modified for PPO in these solvents compared with the other ones.

Single-Particle Photothermal Circular Dichroism and Photothermal Magnetic Circular Dichroism Microscopy.

Recent advances in single-particle photothermal circular dichroism (PT CD) and photothermal magnetic circular dichroism (PT MCD) microscopy have shown strong promise for diverse applications in chirality and magnetism. Photothermal circular dichroism microscopy measures direct differential absorption of left- and right-circularly polarized light by a chiral nanoobject and thus can measure a pure circular dichroism signal, which is free from the contribution of circular birefringence and linear dichroism. Photothermal magnetic circular dichroism, which is based on the polar magneto-optical Kerr effect, can probe the magnetic properties of a single nanoparticle (of sizes down to 20 nm) optically. Single-particle measurements enable studies of the spatiotemporal heterogeneity of magnetism at the nanoscale. Both PT CD and PT MCD have already found applications in chiral plasmonics and magnetic nanomaterials. Most importantly, the advent of these microscopic techniques opens possibilities for many novel applications in biology and nanomaterial science.

Vibration-insensitive polarimetric fiber optic current sensor based on orbital angular momentum modes in an air-core optical fiber.

Current or magnetic field sensing is usually achieved by exploiting the Faraday effect of an optical material combined with an interferometric probe that provides the sensitivity. Being interferometric in nature, such sensors are typically sensitive to several other environmental parameters such as vibrations and mechanical disturbances, which, however, inevitably impose the inaccuracy and instability of the detection. Here we demonstrate a polarimetric fiber optic current sensor based on orbital angular momentum modes of an air-core optical fiber. In the fiber, spin-orbit interactions imply that the circular birefringence, which is sensitive to applied currents or resultant magnetic fields, is naturally resilient to mechanical vibrations. The sensor, which effectively measures polarization rotation at the output of a fiber in a magnetic field, exhibits high linearity in the measured signal versus the applied current that induces the magnetic field, with a sensitivity of 0.00128 rad/A and a noise limit of 1×10-5/H z. The measured polarization varies within only ±0.1% under mechanical vibrations with the frequency of up to 800 Hz, validating the robust environmental performance of the sensor.

MULTI-PARAMETER MUELLER-MATRIX TOMOGRAPHY OF HISTOLOGICAL SAMPLES OF BIOLOGICAL TISSUES AS AN ACCURATE AND EFFECTIVE METHOD FOR DETERMINING THE DEGREE OF BLOOD LOSS

Establishing the volume of blood loss is extremely important in the context of forensic practice, as it can indicate various circumstances of death and is important in solving criminal cases. Consideration of modern methods of determining this parameter in the article is relevant and aims to reveal new opportunities and perspectives in this field of forensic medical examination.
 Aim of the work. To develop a set of new forensic criteria for accurate determination of the volume of blood loss using the method of multichannel polarization Muller-matrix tomography of histological sections of parenchymal organs and human blood samples.
 Materials and methods. Samples of parenchymal organs and human blood were collected from 76 corpses of both sexes with varying degrees of blood loss from 0 mm3 to 2500 mm3. The research was carried out using the method of multichannel polarization Muller-matrix linear dichroism tomography of biological tissue samples.
 Results. For all studied biological samples, a decrease in the level of circular birefringence (CB) of formed blood elements against the background of a gradual necrotic decrease in distributions of linear birefringence (LB) of the optical anisotropy of parenchymal tissues and blood films was established for the process of blood loss. The range of sensitivity of the method of differential Mueller-matrix tomography with algorithmic reproduction of linear dichroism maps to changes in blood loss volume of the deceased, which is (0±2000) mm3, is determined.
 Conclusions. The accuracy of the method of differential Mueller matrix mapping with algorithmic reproduction of linear dichroism maps of biological preparations was determined, which is 86-92 % in the range of the level of blood loss ΔV = (0±2000) mm3.

Disentangling optical effects in 3D spiral-like, chiral plasmonic assemblies templated by a dark conglomerate liquid crystal.

Chiral thin films showing electronic and plasmonic circular dichroism (CD) are intensively explored for optoelectronic applications. The most studied chiral organic films are the composites exhibiting a helical geometry, which often causes entanglement of circular optical properties with unwanted linear optical effects (linearly polarized absorption or refraction). This entanglement limits tunability and often translates to a complex optical response. This paper describes chiral films based on dark conglomerate, sponge-like, liquid crystal films, which go beyond the usual helical type geometry, waiving the problem of linear contributions to chiroptical electronic and plasmonic properties. First, we show that purely organic films exhibit high electronic CD and circular birefringence, as studied in detail using Mueller matrix polarimetry. Analogous linear properties are two orders of magnitude lower, highlighting the benefits of using the bi-isotropic dark conglomerate liquid crystal for chiroptical purposes. Next, we show that the liquid crystal can act as a template to guide the assembly of chemically compatible gold nanoparticles into 3D spiral-like assemblies. The Mueller matrix polarimetry measurements confirm that these composites exhibit both electronic and plasmonic circular dichroisms, while nanoparticle presence is not compromising the beneficial optical properties of the matrix.

Online measurement of birefringence of sensing fibers in the AFOCT system

AbstractThis paper presents a novel scheme to online measure the birefringence of the sensing fiber in all‐fiber optic current transformer (AFOCT) system, which monitors the current on direct current (DC) transmission lines using the Faraday magneto‐optic effect in sensing fibers. In this scheme, by purposefully varying the difference of square‐wave modulated phases via the phase modulator in the AFOCT system, different system transmittances can be obtained. On the basis of the relationship between the system transmittance and linear and circular birefringences, an online measurement scheme of both the linear and circular birefringences of the sensing fibers can be established. In this scheme, the AFOCT system is described by the transmission model based on the Jones matrices, with which the current on DC transmission lines can be measured from the phase shift caused by the Faraday effect. Then, under different square‐wave modulated phases, the system transmittance models are constructed with respect to the linear and circular birefringences of the sensing fiber. For a given sensing fiber with certain linear and circular birefringences, the specific system transmittances are determined and are the curves in space in the respective system transmittance models. Subsequently, these curves in space can be projected onto the coordinate plane composed of the linear and circular birefringence coordinate axes, where the intersection point of the projected plane curves gives the to‐be‐measured values of the linear and circular birefringences of the sensing fiber. The proposed scheme is validated by the preset linear and circular birefringences of the sensing fiber, with different linear birefringences of the polarization‐maintaining fiber. The measurement results show the values consistent with the preset ones.

Double-clad ytterbium-doped tapered fiber with circular birefringence as a gain medium for structured light.

Amplifying radially and azimuthally polarized beams is a significant challenge due to the instability of the complex beam shape and polarization in inhomogeneous environment. In this Letter, we demonstrated experimentally an efficient approach to directly amplify cylindrical-vector beams with axially symmetric polarization and doughnut-shaped intensity profile in a picosecond MOPA system based on a double-clad ytterbium-doped tapered fiber. To prevent polarization and beam shape distortion during amplification, for the first time to the best of our knowledge, we proposed using the spun architecture of the tapered fiber. In contrast to an isotropic fiber architecture, a spun configuration possessing nearly circular polarization eigenstates supports stable wavefront propagation. Applying this technique, we amplified the cylindrical-vector beam with 10 ps pulses up to 22 W of the average power at a central wavelength of 1030 nm and a repetition rate of 15 MHz, maintaining both mode and polarization stability.

Plasticizer-Induced Enhancement of Mesoscale Dissymmetry in Thin Films of Chiral Polymers with Variable Chain Length.

Conjugated polymers with chiral side chains are of interest in areas including chiral photonics, optoelectronics, and chemical and biological sensing. However, the low dissymmetry factors of most neat polymer thin films have limited their practical application. Here, a robust method to increase the absorption dissymmetry factor in a poly-fluorene-thiophene (PF8TS series) system is demonstrated by varying molecular weight and introducing an achiral plasticizer, polyethylene mono alcohol (PEM-OH). Extending chain length within the optimal range and adding this long-chain alcohol significantly enhance the chiroptical properties of spin-coated and annealed thin films. Mueller matrix spectroscopic ellipsometry (MMSE) analysis shows good agreement with the steady-state transmission measurements confirming a strong chiral response (circular dichroism (CD)and circular birefringence (CB)), ruling out linear dichroism, birefringence, and specific reflection effects. Solid-state NMR studies of annealed hybrid chiral polymer systems show enhancement of signals associated with aromatic π-stacked backbone and the ordered side-chain conformations. Further studies using Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and polarized optical microscopy (POM) indicate that PEM-OH facilitates mesoscopic crystal domain ordering upon annealing. This provides new insights into routes for tuning optical activity in conjugated polymers.

Distributed and polarimetric pressure sensitivity in spun highly birefringent optical fibers.

We examine experimentally the influence of the fiber inelastic twist on polarimetric sensitivity to hydrostatic pressure and pressure sensitivity in a Rayleigh-scattering-based optical frequency-domain reflectometer (OFDR) for highly birefringent side-hole fibers. The fibers were drawn from the same preform with different spin pitches varying from 5 mm to 200 mm. We also demonstrate that the sensitivities of spun fiber can be estimated analytically based on its spin pitch, measured birefringence, and the sensitivity of the corresponding non-twisted fiber, showing good agreement with the experimental results. We proved that polarimetric sensitivity to pressure decreases with the shorter spin pitches, while distributed pressure sensitivity decreases for the one polarization eigenmode and increases for the second polarization eigenmode. Therefore, the spun-fibers can operate well as the polarimetric sensors of other physical parameters inducing circular birefringence even under varying pressure. Moreover, they can be used to obtain the desired difference between sensitivities for both polarization eigenmodes.

Linear and nonlinear photonic spin Hall effect induced by analog circular birefringence of Bessel-like beams

The spin Hall effect of a light beam is essentially a product of circular birefringence but is rarely demonstrated. Here, we provide a scheme for initiating off-axis circular birefringence based on the spin-dependent wave vector bifurcation of Bessel beams via a single liquid crystal Pancharatnam–Berry phase element. The tilted Bessel beam shows a detectable photonic spin Hall effect. By introducing the nonlinear propagation trajectories, the spin Hall effect is greatly enhanced. More surprisingly, the two spin states exactly propagate along the scaled trajectories, enabling flexible control of the spin separation. This phenomenon is also applicable to other Bessel-like beams with nonlinear trajectories, which have been already reported.

A bi-Layered chiral metasurface as a multi-functional polarization convertor with high incidence angle stability

This paper introduces a polarization converter with multiple functions constructed using a bi-layered chiral metasurface. The chiral metasurface has double-modified metal layers on a dielectric substrate. The results authenticate the superior efficiency of the structure in achieving both circular birefringence and circular dichroism characteristics. The chiral metasurface can convert y-(x-) polarized electromagnetic lights to circularly polarized waves at 7.18 GHz and 8.85 GHz. When the x-(y-) polarized wave interacts with chiral metamaterial in –z(+z) orientations, it results in a transmitted wave of y-(x-) polarized light (15–17 GHz). The extracted significant polarization conversion ratio above 0.9 (15–17 GHz) and the considerable polarization extinction ratio (PER) over 40 dB (7.18 GHz) and -22dB (8.85 GHz) confirm the considerable potential of the offered chiral metasurface in acquiring the transmitted waves with approximately pure circular and linear polarization. The proposed structure has reliable asymmetric transmission properties and can function as a stable polarizer in the microwave spectrum.

Liquid Crystalline Magneto-Optically Active Peralkylated Azacoronene.

Organic Faraday rotators have gained significant attention in recent years as a promising alternative to traditional inorganic magneto-optical (MO) materials as a result of their lower cost, superior mechanical properties, and potential for large-scale deployment. This interest is peaked by the fact that a number of high symmetry, rigid, strongly optically absorbing organic chromophores display Verdet constants an order of magnitude higher than commercial inorganic Faraday rotators. Critical to the development of new generations of organic materials is the ability to organize them in optimal structures for optical coupling/measurements. We report herein the synthesis of a dodecyl-substituted hexapyrrolohexaazacoronene (C12-HPHAC) displaying discotic liquid crystalline (LC) properties and large Faraday rotation. Thin films with a redox mixed C12-HPHAC/C12-HPHAC+2 composition display a discotic columnar LC phase, are stable to air and moisture in the solid and solution states, and achieve a maximum Verdet constant of 3.36 × 105 deg T-1 m-1 at 700 nm. This result is consistent with Serber's model of magnetic circular birefringence and displays one of the largest reported Verdet constants for organic materials in the UV-Vis range. The LC phase aligns the molecules and leads to gains in Verdet constants of up to 105% through the favorable orientation of the molecules' magnetic and electric transition dipole moments with respect to the applied magnetic field.

A Polarimetric Fiber Ring Laser Incorporating a Coupled Optoelectronic Oscillator and Its Application to Magnetic Field Sensing

A novel configuration for a polarimetric fiber ring laser incorporating a coupled optoelectronic oscillator (COEO) is proposed and experimentally demonstrated, and its application to magnetic field sensing is studied. The COEO-based polarimetric fiber ring laser has two mutually coupled loops: the fiber ring laser loop and the OEO loop. In the fiber ring laser loop, longitudinal modes break up into orthogonal polarization modes because of birefringence. The frequency of the polarization mode beat (PMB) signals is determined by the cavity birefringence. In the OEO loop, a microwave signal with its frequency equal to the PMB signal is generated. By feeding the oscillation mode to modulate the optical loop, mode-locking can be achieved, rendering the mode spacing of the laser equal to the frequency of the oscillating OEO mode. We can estimate the birefringence variation by measuring the oscillating frequency of the COEO. To validate the proposed sensing system, a circular birefringence change is introduced in a magneto-optic crystal via the Faraday rotation effect. Then, the magnetic field sensing is implemented. Such configuration can achieve single longitudinal oscillation and realize high-speed and high-precision measurements.