Magnetoelectric birefringence revisited

TL;DR

This paper analyzes electromagnetic wave propagation in isotropic media with field-dependent dielectric properties, deriving conditions for magnetoelectric birefringence effects that can occur independently of traditional Kerr and Cotton-Mouton effects.

Contribution

It revisits the phenomenon of magnetoelectric birefringence, providing a formalism to describe it without relying on Kerr or Cotton-Mouton effects, and discusses specific conditions for its occurrence.

Findings

Magnetoelectric birefringence can occur without Kerr or Cotton-Mouton effects.

Derived dispersion relations using the Hadamard method.

Presented applications illustrating the formalism.

Abstract

Electromagnetic wave propagation inside isotropic material media characterized by dielectric coefficients $\varepsilon_{\mu\nu}(E,B)$ and $\mu_{\mu\nu}(E,B)$ is examined. The regime of the eikonal approximation is considered. The Hadamard method of field disturbances is used and the dispersion relations are obtained by solving the Fresnel equation. Some applications of the formalism are presented. Particularly, birefringence phenomena induced by applied external fields are derived and discussed. It is shown that magnetoelectric birefringence effect can occur even without the presence of Kerr and Cotton-Mouton effects, provided the physical system satisfies certain conditions.