Observing angular deviations in light beam reflection via weak measurements

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates how weak measurement techniques can amplify and observe angular deviations in light beams during reflection, including at the Brewster angle, enhancing the detection of subtle optical effects.

Contribution

It adapts the weak value amplification method to observe the angular Goos-Hanchen shift in air-dielectric reflection, including at the Brewster angle.

Findings

Weak measurements amplify the angular Goos-Hanchen shift.

Observation is possible at any angle of incidence, including Brewster angle.

The method provides faithful amplification of the effect.

Abstract

An optical analog of the quantum weak measurement scheme proved to be very useful for the observation of optical beam shifts. Here we adapt the weak value amplification method for the observation of the angular Goos-Hanchen shift. We observe this effect in the case of external air-dielectric reflection, the more fundamental case in which it occurs.We show that weak measurements allow for a faithful amplification of the effect at any angle of incidence, even at the Brewster angle of incidence.