Yu. P. Bliokh

Topological spin transport of photons: the optical Magnus effect and Berry phase

The Letter develops a modified geometrical optics (GO) of smoothly inhomogeneous isotropic medium, which takes into account two topological phenomena: Berry phase and the optical Magnus effect. Taking into account the correspondence between a quasi-classical motion of a quantum particle with a spin and GO of an electromagnetic wave in smoothly inhomogeneous media, we have introduced the standard gauge potential associated with the degeneracy in the wave momentum space. This potential corresponds to the magnetic-monopole-like field (Berry curvature), which causes the topological spin (polarization) transport of photons. The deviations of waves of right-hand and left-hand polarization occur in the opposite directions and orthogonally to the principal direction of motion. This produces a spin current directed across the principal motion. The situation is similar to the anomalous Hall effect for electrons. In addition, a simple scheme of the experiment allowing one to observe the topological spin splitting of photons has been suggested.

Mode interaction in backward-wave oscillators with strong end reflections

In backward-wave oscillators (BWOs) with strong end reflections a number of standing waves with different axial indices can be excited. The theory describing the interaction of such modes is developed. The region of stable single-mode oscillations is determined and various hysteresis effects which may occur during the voltage rise and fall times are analyzed.

Modified geometrical optics of a smoothly inhomogeneous isotropic medium: the anisotropy, Berry phase, and the optical Magnus effect.

We present a modification of the geometrical optics method, which allows one to properly separate the complex amplitude and the phase of the wave solution. Appling this modification to a smoothly inhomogeneous isotropic medium, we show that in the first geometrical optics approximation the medium is weakly anisotropic. The refractive index, being dependent on the direction of the wave vector, contains the correction, which is proportional to the Berry geometric phase. Two independent eigenmodes of right-hand and left-hand circular polarizations exist in the medium. Their group velocities and phase velocities differ. The difference in the group velocities results in the shift of the rays of different polarizations (the optical Magnus effect). The difference in the phase velocities causes an increase of the Berry phase along with the interference of two modes leading to the familiar Rytov law about the rotation of the polarization plane of a wave. The theory developed suggests that both the optical Magnus effect and the Berry phase are accompanying nonlocal topological effects. In this paper the Hamilton ray equations giving a unified description for both of these phenomena have been derived and also a novel splitting effect for a ray of noncircular polarization has been predicted. Specific examples are also discussed.

Spin gauge fields: From Berry phase to topological spin transport and Hall effects

The paper examines the emergence of gauge fields during the evolution of a particle with a spin that is described by a matrix Hamiltonian with n different eigenvalues. It is shown that by introducing a spin gauge field a particle with a spin can be described as a spin multiplet of scalar particles situated in a non-Abelian pure gauge (forceless) field U (n). As the result, one can create a theory of particle evolution that is gauge-invariant with regards to the group U n (1). Due to this, in the adiabatic (Abelian) approximation the spin gauge field is an analogue of n electromagnetic fields U (1) on the extended phase space of the particle. These fields are force ones, and the forces of their action enter the particle motion equations that are derived in the paper in the general form. The motion equations describe the topological spin transport, pumping, and splitting. The Berry phase is represented in this theory analogously to the Dirac phase of a particle in an electromagnetic field. Due to the analogy with the electromagnetic field, the theory becomes natural in the four-dimensional form. Besides the general theory, the article considers a number of important particular examples, both known and new.

Localized Modes in Open One-Dimensional Dissipative Random Systems

We consider, both theoretically and experimentally, the excitation and detection of the localized quasimodes (resonances) in an open dissipative 1D random system. We show that, even though the amplitude of transmission drops dramatically so that it cannot be observed in the presence of small losses, resonances are still clearly exhibited in reflection. Surprisingly, small losses essentially improve conditions for the detection of resonances in reflection as compared with the lossless case. An algorithm is proposed and tested to retrieve sample parameters and resonance characteristics inside the random system exclusively from reflection measurements.

High-current carbon-epoxy capillary cathode

The experimental results of a promising pulsed plasma source, producing electron beams with a current density of up to 10 kA/cm² are presented. The beam duration was up to ~1 μs, in an accelerating voltage of up to ~350 kV, without shorting of the cathode-anode gap by the cathode plasma. This plasma electron source is proven to sustain hundreds of pulses without degradation in its emission properties. The cathode plasma electron density n_e ≤ 10¹⁵ cm^-3, electron T_e ≤ 13 eV and ion T_i ≤ 4 eV temperatures, and expansion velocity V_pl 1.6 × 10⁶ cm/s were determined using time- and space-resolved spectroscopy and light emission.

PLASMON MECHANISM OF LIGHT TRANSMISSION THROUGH A METAL FILM OR A PLASMA LAYER

It is shown that a smooth metal film (or a plasma layer) can be made transparent for an electromagnetic wave when two identical subwavelength diffraction gratings are placed on both sides of the film. The electromagnetic wave transmission through the metal film is caused by excitation of evanescent surface waves (plasmons) and their transformation into propagating waves at the gratings. A model which is developed analytically shows that the problem of the wave transmission is physically equivalent to the problem of excitation of two coupled resonators of evanescent waves which are formed at the two film surfaces.

Electron beam dynamics in Pasotron microwave sources

The Pasotron is a high efficiency (∼50%), plasma-assisted microwave generator in which the beam electrons exhibit two-dimensional motion in the slow wave structure. The electron beam propagates in the ion-focusing regime (Bennett pinch regime) because there is no applied magnetic field. Since initially only the neutral gas is present in the vacuum system and the ions in the neutralizing plasma channel are produced only due to the beam impact ionization, the beam dynamics in Pasotrons is inherently a nonstationary process, and important for efficient operation. The present paper contains results of experimental studies of stationary and nonstationary effects in the beam dynamics in Pasotrons and their theoretical interpretation.

Chaotic oscillations enhanced by magnetosonic waves in plasma-filled traveling-wave tubes

A theory of plasma-filled traveling-wave tubes (TWTs) is developed in which the effect of magnetosonic waves excited in plasma by the operating wave is taken into account. These waves are excited by the ponderomotive force caused by the radial inhomogeneity of the axial component of the electric field of the operating wave. In the simplest case considered in the paper, this effect leads to an additional reactive nonlinearity in the wave envelope equation. This leads to a shrinkage of the region of stable oscillations in TWTs with the feedback causing the self-excitation; at the same time, the region of stochastic oscillations becomes larger. The radiation spectrum of stochastic oscillations in plasma-filled TWTs in which magnetosonic waves are excited is much wider and more continuous than the spectrum of stochastic oscillations in vacuum TWTs with the same feedback.

Millimeter wave localization : Slow light and enhanced absorption in random dielectric media

We exploit millimeter wave technology to measure the reflection and transmission response of random dielectric media. Our samples are easily constructed from random stacks of identical subwavelength quartz and Teflon wafers. The measurement allows us to observe the characteristic transmission resonances associated with localization. We show that these resonances give rise to enhanced attenuation even though the attenuation of homogeneous quartz and Teflon is quite low. We provide experimental evidence of disorder-induced slow light and superluminal group velocities, which, in contrast to photonic crystals, are not associated with any periodicity in the system. Furthermore, we observe localization even though the sample is only about four times the localization length, interpreting our data in terms of an effective cavity model. An algorithm for the retrieval of the internal parameters of random samples (localization length and average absorption rate) from the external measurements of the reflection and transmission coefficients is presented and applied to a particular random sample. The retrieved value of the absorption is in agreement with the directly measured value within the accuracy of the experiment.