Consequences of the Fermat's anisotropic uniaxial principle on the reflexion and transmission factors for one-dimensional uniaxial crystal slabs

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel approach to defining reflection and transmission factors at uniaxial crystal interfaces based on photon energy-momentum conservation, aligning with extended Fermat's principle, enabling precise calculations across various configurations.

Contribution

It proposes a new definition of optical reflection and transmission factors for uniaxial crystals that aligns with geometric optics principles and accounts for anisotropy and optical axis variations.

Findings

Exact calculation method for transmission factors in uniaxial media.

Identification of photon-associated quasi-particles influencing optical behavior.

Compatibility of the new definition with extended Fermat's principle.

Abstract

A coherent definition of the reflection and transmission factors at a plane interface separating two uniaxial crystals is proposed, from the photons impulsion-energy 4-vectors conservation. This definition, different from the classical electromagnetic one, is compatible with the completely resolved extended Fermat's principle of the geometric optics for extraordinary luminous rays inside uniaxial media, and allows the exact calculation of the transmission factors at the plane interface for any practical configuration, combining all possible optical axes and anisotropy factors variations. Furthermore, this particular technique points out the existence of quasi-particles strongly associated to the photons, whose behaviour is highly correlated to the photons transmission/reflection possibilities.