Vortex and field structures in light beams - some exact solutions

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• Thomas Philbin, University of Exeter
• Wednesday 21 February 2018, 14:00-15:00
• Physics West SR1 (103).

If you have a question about this talk, please contact Dr Miguel Navarro-Cia.

The propagation of monochromatic light beams is generally described using the paraxial approximation, which gives an accurate description of the most widely used structured beams (Hermite-Gaussian, Laguerre-Gaussian). For beams with strong focussing however, the paraxial approximation breaks down. Approaches based on diffraction integrals or Fourier (k-space) integrals have allowed detailed study of the structure of non-paraxial beams. Here we describe an approach that leads to a class of exact analytical solutions for light beams with strong focussing. The spatial structure of these solutions is far easier to explore compared to those which require the evaluation of integrals at each point. We give detailed pictures of some of these solutions, which contain a rich dynamical structure of loops of fields lines, vortices in the time-averaged energy flow, and polarization changes.

This talk is part of the Metamaterials Research Group Seminars series.

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• Metamaterials Research Group Seminars
• Physics West SR1 (103)
• What's on in Physics?

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