Composition law for polarizers
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In this paper, the trajectories of the wave light polarization during the polarization process were determined using the Stokes vector representation, and it was shown that such trajectories are not always geodesics of the Poincare sphere as is usually thought.Abstract:
The polarization process when polarizers act on an optical field is studied. We give examples for two kinds of polarizers. The first kind presents an anisotropic absorption—as in a Polaroid film—and the second one is based on total reflection at the interface with a birefringent medium. Using the Stokes vector representation, we determine explicitly the trajectories of the wave light polarization during the polarization process. We find that such trajectories are not always geodesics of the Poincare sphere as is usually thought. Using the analogy between light polarization and special relativity, we find that the action of successive polarizers on the light wave polarization is equivalent to the action of a single resulting polarizer followed by a rotation achieved, for example, by a device with optical activity. We find a composition law for polarizers similar to the composition law for noncollinear velocities in special relativity. We define an angle equivalent to the relativistic Wigner angle which can be used to quantify the quality of two composed polarizers.read more
Citations
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Generalized composition law from 2×2 matrices
TL;DR: In this article, a generalization in the complex plane of the addition law of parallel velocities is presented, which directly provides phase factors such as the Wigner angle in special relativity and is related to the composition of 2×2 S-matrices.
Journal ArticleDOI
Generalized composition law from 2x2 matrices
TL;DR: In this paper, a generalization in the complex plane of the addition law of parallel velocities is presented. But this generalization does not directly provide phase factors such as the Wigner angle in special relativity.
Journal ArticleDOI
Lorentz Transformation, Poincaré Vectors and Poincaré Sphere in Various Branches of Physics
TL;DR: In the frame of a generic language extended from the polarization theory, a geometric approach to Lorentz transformations alternative to the Minkowskian one is given, which operates in the three-dimensional space of Poincare vectors.
Journal ArticleDOI
On a quasi-relativistic formula in polarization theory.
TL;DR: In a pure operatorial (nonmatrix) Pauli algebraic approach, this Letter shows that the Poincaré vector of the light transmitted by a dichroic device can be expressed as function of the PoINCaré vectors of the incoming light and of the device by a composition law of the same kind as the composition law as the noncolinear relativistic velocities.
Journal ArticleDOI
Geometric phase and Pancharatnam phase induced by light wave polarization
TL;DR: In this article, the authors used the quantum kinematic approach to revisit geometric phases associated with polarizing processes of a monochromatic light wave and gave the expressions of geometric phases for any, unitary or non-unitary, cyclic or noncyclic transformations of the light wave state.
References
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Journal ArticleDOI
Geometric phases from stacks of crystal plates
Michael V Berry,S Klein +1 more
TL;DR: In this article, the phase changes of a light beam cycled around the Poincare sphere on N similar arcs of great polarizers P or small R circles were calculated, and the predicted phase shifts were observed as fringe shifts in an interferometer for N = 2, 3 and 4.
Journal ArticleDOI
Stokes Parameters as a Minkowskian Four-vector
TL;DR: In this paper, it is shown that the four independent Stokes parameters form a Minkowskian four-vector, just like the energy-momentum fourvector in special relativity.
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The relativistic velocity composition paradox and the Thomas rotation
TL;DR: The relativistic velocity composition paradox of Mocanu and its resolution by means of the Thomas rotation was resolved in this paper by shedding light on the role played by composite velocities in special relativity, as opposed to the role they play in Galilean relativity.
Journal ArticleDOI
The reflection of light by planar stratified media: the groupoid of amplitudes and a phase 'Thomas precession'
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors show that the reflection coefficient of light on stratified planar structures can be obtained by postulating the use of a complex generalization of Einstein's addition theorem for parallel velocities.
Journal ArticleDOI
A geometric phase in optical multilayers
TL;DR: In this article, it was shown that the Berry phase appearing when studying the reflection of light on optical multilayers using the composition law of amplitudes has a structure similar to that of the Thomas precession.
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