Nonreciprocal magneto-optic beam splitting

Abstract

We report an unexplored magneto-optic effect, triple circular reflection/refraction, for the manufacture of nonreciprocal beam splitters. Such beam splitters split up linearly polarized light into opposite-helicity plus linearly polarized beams all traveling in different directions. We present a mathematical description of the effect and its experimental verification in the visible and near-infrared in bismuth-substituted iron garnets. The phenomenon also provides the existence of quadruple and higher order reflection/refraction modes. The effect in question could produce nonreciprocal photonic devices that operate in classical or quantum regimes such as beam steerers, isolators, and routers.