Optics of non-conventional media
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HYSICAL PROPERTIES OF CRYSTALS
Optics of NonConventional Media O. M. Arakelyana and O. S. Eritsyanb a
b
Yerevan State University, Yerevan, 0025 Armenia Institute of Applied Problems of Physics, Yerevan State University, Yerevan, 0025 Armenia email: [email protected] Received October 8, 2012; revision received March 11, 2014
Abstract—Media with unconventional wavevector surfaces are systematized with respect to the shape of their surfaces. The characteristic optical features of these media, caused by new forms of wave vector surface (atypical of conventional optics), are indicated. DOI: 10.1134/S1063774514070037
INTRODUCTION Casting a glance over the history of optics, one can note that the objects of its study have been media with closed, centrosymmetric, and direct wave vector sur faces (WVSs) (directness indicates that the Poynting vector is directed along the external normal to the WVS surface rather than along the internal normal). These properties were considered so natural and leaving no alternative that they were not even dis cussed in the scientific literature. The objects of our study are media the WVSs of which are noncentrosym metric, open, or inverse (the latter means that the Poynting vector is directed not along the external nor mal to the WVS, as in conventional optics, but along the internal normal). Unusual WVSs explain many new properties atypical of conventional optics. The study of these properties began in the 1960s [1–5] and currently continues [6–9]. Here, we briefly illustrate situations where new, nonconventional WVSs occur and present examples of new properties of media with nonconventional WVSs. The results of this study, being, in our opinion, of fundamental importance, serve also as a basis for designing new optical elements: optical diodes, accu mulators of electromagnetic energy, and flat lenses [9]. Concerning practical applications, we should mention that the principle of operation of flat lenses differs from that of the widely known superlenses based on artificial media [10]; therefore, these elements can be designed based on natural crystals and, correspond ingly, do not call for the development of artificial media. NONCENTROSYMMETRIC CLOSED WVSS AND IRREVERSIBILITY OF WAVES WVSs of this kind are used to describe natural gyro tropic media in the presence of magnetooptical activ ity. The nonsymmetricity of WVSs is caused by the
presence of odd powers of the wave vector components in the dispersion equation and, therefore, the nonin variance of the dispersion equation with respect to the –k (k is the wave vector). Nonin replacement k variance manifests itself in optical properties as fol lows: physical characteristics change in modulus when the propagation direction reverses [1, 4, 11]. Until recently, the reversibility of waves was consid ered necessary in optical phenomena. It was based on the central symmetry of WVSs and on the fact that the speed of light, being dependent on the propagation direction, is the same for opposite propagation direc tions. Mathem
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