A review is given of the optical properties of isotropic chiral media, based on the symmetrized constitutive relations of Condon. The review includes discussion of wave propagation in chiral media, and derivation of the reflection and transmission amplitudes of an isotropic optically active medium, and of a layer resting on a substrate. Boundary conditions and energy conservation relations are derived. For the chiral layer, simple formulae are given for the reflection and transmission coefficients at normal incidence, in the weak chirality limit, near the critical angles, and for a thin layer. Analytic expressions are given for all the reflection and transmission amplitudes in the general case. An ellipsometric method of measuring the chirality of very small sample volumes is suggested.

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0963-9659/5/4/008/pdf

Optical properties of isotropic chiral media

Fresnel reflection amplitude coefficients (fractional amplitudes) at the surface of an isotropic, intrinsically nonmagnetic chiral medium are derived on the basis of the Drude–Condon model of optical activity The eigenvalue–eigenvector solution is obtained with use of Berreman’s 4 × 4 matrix method Self-consistent results are obtained when the calculations are based on a new 4 × 4 matrix for reflection from an isotropic chiral medium

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Reflection and refraction at the surface of an isotropic chiral medium: eigenvalue–eigenvector solution using a 4 × 4 matrix method

Investigates the reflection of electromagnetic waves at the boundary between an isotropic non-active medium and a uniaxial optically active medium. The anisotropic gyrotropic medium is described by constitutive relations, invariant to duality transformations. A Fresnel-type boundary problem is solved in two geometries: (i) optical axis perpendicular to the reflecting boundary and (ii) optical axis perpendicular to the plane of incidence. The components of the electric field and the intensity of the reflected and refracted waves are determined. Differential reflection methods for studying the optical activity are discussed in the cases of: ordinary reflection of left and right circularly polarized waves; total reflection of circularly polarized waves; and total reflection of linearly polarized waves.

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0953-8984/5/33/019/pdf

The reflection of electromagnetic waves from uniaxial optically active media

We study the reflection matrix corresponding to planar achiral-chiral interfaces having different magnetic permeabilities. The complex Fresnel coefficients are calculated as functions of the incidence angle. We show that the simultaneous presence of chirality and magnetization introduces novel features in the reflectivity of the planar interface. Polarizing angles are studied and it is shown that they cannot be obtained for certain values of the constitutive parameters.

A Parametric Study of Light Reflection at the Planar Interface of a Dielectric-magnetic and a Magnetic Chiral Medium

The influence of absorption on the intensities of reflected light from a Fabry-Perot etalon (Bi12GeO20 plate) for incident Ep light is investigated. It is shown that the absorption reduces the effect of optical activity. The mathematical modelling shows a drastic change in the interferograms when absorption is taken into account.

Optically Active Absorptive Fabry-Pérot Etalon

The authors investigate the reflection of linearly and circularly polarized electromagnetic waves both at the boundary between an isotropic non-active medium and an isotropic optically active medium and at the boundary between an optically active medium and a non-active medium. The components of the electric field and the intensity of the reflected and refracted waves are determined. The following differential reflection methods for studying the optical activity are proposed: usual reflection of left and right circularly polarized waves (reflection optical activity); total reflection of circularly polarized waves; total reflection of linearly polarized waves.

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0953-8984/3/5/003/pdf

A I Miteva

Papers

Reflection of electromagnetic waves from isotropic optically active media