Abstract
The condition for obtaining a differential (or ellipsometric) quarter-wave retardation when p- and s-polarized light of wavelength λ experience frustrated total internal reflection (FTIR) and optical tunneling at angles of incidence the critical angle by a transparent thin film (medium 1) of low refractive index and uniform thickness d, which is embedded in a transparent bulk medium 0 of high refractive index takes the simple form: , in which , , and , are 01 interface Fresnel reflection phase shifts for the p and s polarizations. From this condition, the ranges of the principal angle and normalized film thickness are obtained explicitly. At a given principal angle, the associated principal azimuths , in reflection and transmission are determined by and , respectively. At a unique principal angle given by , and linear-to-circular polarization conversion is achieved upon FTIR and optical tunneling simultaneously. The intensity transmittances of p- and s-polarized light at any principal angle are given by and , respectively. The efficiency of linear-to-circular polarization conversion in optical tunneling is maximum at .
© 2011 Optical Society of America
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