Optical chirality exhibited by two axially propagating electromagnetic waves in counter-rotations

Abstract

The optical chirality of two axially propagating electromagnetic waves is investigated. These two waves of different nature are in counter-rotations, thereby being non-plane waves. From the resulting spatial distributions of energy and chirality, we find not only enhancements but also cancellations due to the interferences in these hybrid waves. In addition, the roles of the axial wave number and interference phase are illustrated by introducing a proper figure of merit for relevant device performances.

Keywords:

• optical chirality
• counter-rotation
• hollow cylinder
• axial propagation
• interference
• device performance

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This research has been supported by Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation (NRF) of Korea funded by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology [grant number 2011-0023612].