Propagation of light polarization in a birefringent medium: Exact analytic models

• Published in: Optics communications Vol. 284; no. 12; pp. 2642 - 2647
• Main Authors: Genov, G.T., Rangelov, A.A., Vitanov, N.V.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01-06-2011
• Subjects: Analogies; Birefringence; Broadband; Equations of motion; Exact solutions; Mathematical analysis; Polarization; Vectors (mathematics)
• ISSN: 0030-4018; 1873-0310
• DOI: 10.1016/j.optcom.2011.01.073

Driving the analogy between the coherent excitation of a two-state quantum system and the torque equation of motion, we present exact analytic solutions to different models for manipulation of polarization in birefringent medium. These models include the one-dimensional model, the Landau–Zener model, and the Demkov–Kunike model. We also give an example for robust, broadband manipulation of polarization by suitably tailoring the birefringence vector.
► Analogy between coherent excitation of a quantum system and the torque equation. ► Exact analytic solutions for manipulation of polarization. ► Analogies of the one-dimensional, Landau-Zener, and Demkov-Kunike models. ► Robust, broadband manipulation of polarization by adiabatic rotation.