Superpositions of up to six plane waves without electric-field interference

van Kruining, K.C., Cameron, R.P. and Götte, J.B. (2018) Superpositions of up to six plane waves without electric-field interference. Optica, 5(9), pp. 1091-1098. (doi: 10.1364/OPTICA.5.001091)

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Abstract

Superpositions of coherent light waves typically interfere. We present superpositions of up to six plane waves that defy this expectation by having a perfectly homogeneous mean square of the electric field. For many applications in optics, these superpositions can be seen as having a homogeneous intensity. Our superpositions show interesting one-, two-, and three-dimensional patterns in their helicity densities, including several that support bright regions of superchirality. Our superpositions might be used to write chiral patterns in certain materials, and, conversely, such materials might be used as the basis of an “optical helicity camera” capable of recording spatial variations in helicity.

Item Type:Articles
Additional Information:Also funded by the Leverhulme Trust (RPG-2017-048) and the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2017YFA0303700).
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Goette, Dr Joerg and Cameron, Dr Robert
Authors: van Kruining, K.C., Cameron, R.P., and Götte, J.B.
College/School:College of Science and Engineering > School of Physics and Astronomy
Journal Name:Optica
Publisher:Optical Society of America
ISSN:2334-2536
ISSN (Online):2334-2536
Published Online:10 September 2018
Copyright Holders:Copyright © 2018 The Authors
First Published:First published in Optica 5(9):1091-1098
Publisher Policy:Reproduced under a Creative Commons License

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Project CodeAward NoProject NamePrincipal InvestigatorFunder's NameFunder RefLead Dept
663801NOVEL MANIFESTATIONS OF OPTICAL ACTIVITYStephen BarnettEngineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)EP/M004694/1S&E P&A - PHYSICS & ASTRONOMY