Reflection of light from an anisotropic medium

TL;DR

This paper introduces a general method for analyzing how light of any polarization reflects and refracts at interfaces involving anisotropic media, revealing phenomena like beam splitting and surface wave creation.

Contribution

It provides a novel, comprehensive approach to understanding light behavior at anisotropic interfaces, including internal reflections and associated wave phenomena.

Findings

Reflection involves beam splitting in anisotropic media

Internal reflections can generate surface waves

Method applies to arbitrary polarization states

Abstract

We present here a general approach to treat reflection and refraction of light of arbitrary polarization from single axis anisotropic plates. We show that reflection from interface inside the anisotropic medium is accompanied by beam splitting and can create surface waves.