Measurement of the modal birefringence of single-mode K(+) ion-exchanged planar waveguides with polarimetric interferometry.
The polarimetric interference pattern on the surface of single-mode planar waveguides made by potassium ion exchange in soda-lime glass substrates can be observed through a 45 degrees analyzer, which allows for the high-precision measurement of the modal birefringence of samples in a wide range of 0 to 5 x 10(-4). Using this method, believed to be new, we investigated the effects of exchange temperature and time on the modal birefringence of single-mode potassium ion-exchanged waveguides. The modal birefringence profile was achieved by measurement of the variation of the phase difference between the TE(0) and the TM(0) modes with hydrofluoric-acid-etching depth of the sample.
Circularly polarized light emission from microcavity light emitting devices based on sculptured chiral reflectors
In this paper, a novel microcavity light emitting device is demonstrated to produce pure circularly polarized light with simultaneous control over emission bandwidth and center wavelength. This is achieved by sandwiching fluorescent molecules (Alq3) between two sculptured thin film (STF) chiral reflectors to form a resonant microcavity device of circular polarization selectivity, and optically pumping the device with unpolarized violet light
The quantum particle in a box: what we can learn from classical electrodynamics
The problem of a charged particle enclosed in an infinite square potential well is analysed from the point of view of classical theory with the addition of the electromagnetic zero-point radiation field, with the aim to explore the extent to which such an analysis can contribute to enhance our understanding of the quantum behavior. First a proper treatment is made of the freely moving particle subject to the action of the radiation field, involving a frequency cutoff ωc. The jittering motion and the effective structure of the particle are sustained by the permanent action of the zero-point field. As a result, the particle interacts resonantly with the traveling field modes of frequency ωc in its proper frame of reference, which superpose to give rise to a modulated wave accompanying the particle. This is identified with the de Broglie wave, validating the choice of Compton’s frequency for ωc. For the stationary states of particles confined in the potential well, the Lorentz force produced by the accompanying field is shown to lead to discrete values for the mean speed and to an uneven probability distribution that echoes the corresponding quantum distribution. The relevance of the results obtained and the limitations of the classical approach used, are discussed in the context of present-day stochastic electrodynamics.