Expand this Topic clickable element to expand a topic
Skip to content
Optica Publishing Group

Cross polarization in laser beams

Not Accessible

Your library or personal account may give you access

Abstract

Polarization properties of Gaussian laser beams are analyzed in a manner consistent with the Maxwell equations, and expressions are developed for all components of the electric and magnetic field vectors in the beam. It is shown that the transverse nature of the free electromagnetic field demands a nonzero transverse cross-polarization component in addition to the well-known component of the field vectors along the beam axis. The strength of these components in relation to the strength of the principal polarization component is established. It is further shown that the integrated strengths of these components over a transverse plane are invariants of the propagation process. It is suggested that cross-polarization measurement using a null detector can serve as a new method for accurate determination of the center of Gaussian laser beams.

© 1987 Optical Society of America

Full Article  |  PDF Article
More Like This
Gaussian–Maxwell beams

R. Simon, E. C. G. Sudarshan, and N. Mukunda
J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 3(4) 536-540 (1986)

Cross-polarization of linearly polarized Hermite–Gauss laser beams

Jessica Conry, Reeta Vyas, and Surendra Singh
J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 29(4) 579-584 (2012)

Laser cavities bounded by crossed cylindrical mirrors

R. Simon
J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 4(10) 1953-1961 (1987)

Cited By

You do not have subscription access to this journal. Cited by links are available to subscribers only. You may subscribe either as an Optica member, or as an authorized user of your institution.

Contact your librarian or system administrator
or
Login to access Optica Member Subscription

Equations (24)

You do not have subscription access to this journal. Equations are available to subscribers only. You may subscribe either as an Optica member, or as an authorized user of your institution.

Contact your librarian or system administrator
or
Login to access Optica Member Subscription

Select as filters


Select Topics Cancel
© Copyright 2024 | Optica Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved