Enhancement of the conversion efficiency of optical spin-orbit interactions in PT symmetric systems

Abstract

The optical spin-orbit interaction (SOI) caused by momentum-dependent Pancharatnam–Berry phase (PB) provides new opportunities in the development of spin-optical devices, but the relatively low conversion efficiency limits its application. Here, through rigorous full-wave analyses on it in a parity-time (PT) symmetric system with thickness less than a wavelength, we find that the conversion efficiency of the SOI can be enhanced in both transmission and reflection in a wide range of incidence angles. When the parameters of the PT symmetric system meet the requirement of coherent perfect absorbers-laser mode, the effective anisotropy between the TM and TE components (e.g., a difference of their Fresnel coefficients) within the beam will be amplified dramatically, which results in significantly enhanced conversion efficiency of SOIs (up to 106). These findings offer an effective way to modulate the SOIs with an ultra-thin PT symmetric system, and may exhibit applications in spin-orbit optical devices.