Giant Polarization Drag in a Gas of Molecular Superrotors

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that a gas of molecular superrotors can dramatically enhance polarization drag effects, surpassing traditional materials, and enabling ultra-fast control of light polarization.

Contribution

It introduces a novel superrotor gas medium that significantly amplifies polarization drag, opening new possibilities for optical control technologies.

Findings

Polarization drag angle can be greatly increased in superrotor gases.

Superrotor medium's specific rotation power exceeds traditional materials by orders of magnitude.

Potential for ultra-fast polarization control in optical systems.

Abstract

Experiments on light dragging in a moving medium laid the cornerstones of modern physics more than a century ago, and they still are in the focus of current research. When linearly polarized light is transmitted through a rotating dielectric, the polarization plane is slightly rotated -- a phenomenon first studied by Fermi in 1923. For typical non-resonant dielectric materials, the measured polarization drag angle does not surpass several microradians. Here we show that this effect may be dramatically enhanced if the light is sent to a gas of fast unidirectionally spinning molecular superrotors. Several femtosecond-laser labs have already succeeded in optically creating such a medium. We show that the specific rotation power of the superrotor medium exceeds the values previously observed in mechanically rotated bulk optical specimens by many orders of magnitude. This nonreciprocal opto-mechanical phenomenon may open new avenues for ultra-fast control of the polarization state of light.