Spatial mode conversion of a reflected polarized beam from an isotropic medium at brewster angle

Abstract

Abstract In this study, the spatial mode evolution of a chiral polarized beam during reflection on an isotropic medium surface at Brewster angle is both theoretically and experimentally investigated. In this process, the topological charge of the reflection field’s horizontal component increases (decreases) by one, relative to the specific left (right) elliptical polarization incident beam. While incident l i -order vortex beam is in a certain polarization state, the intensity distribution of the reflection field’s horizontal component appears as the interference pattern of the l i ± 1 -order output vortex beams. The conversion occurs between the spin and orbital angular momentum and does not violate the conservation of the total angular momentum. We explain the physical mechanism of this phenomenon using phase shift theorem, and analyze the effect of ellipticity and polarization angle on this physical phenomenon.