Spin and Orbital angular momentum propagation in anisotropic media: theory

TL;DR

This paper develops a theoretical framework for understanding how light beams with orbital angular momentum propagate through anisotropic media, including inhomogeneous uniaxial materials, with applications to phase plates.

Contribution

It introduces a new paraxial formalism for anisotropic media, extending existing models to inhomogeneous uniaxial materials and phase plates.

Findings

Modified paraxial formalism for anisotropic media

Applicable to space-variant optical-axis phase plates

Provides theoretical insights into OAM beam propagation

Abstract

This paper is devoted to study the propagation of light beams carrying orbital angular momentum in optically anisotropic media. We first review some properties of homogeneous anisotropic media, and describe how the paraxial formalism is modified in order to proceed with a new approach dealing with a general setting of paraxial propagation along uniaxial inhomogeneous media. This approach is suitable for describing the space-variant-optical-axis phase plates.