The Pancharatnam-Berry phase for non-cyclic polarization changes

Thomas van Dijk1, Hugo F Schouten, Wim Ubachs

  • 1Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, and Laser Centre, VU University Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1081, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands. t.d.visser@tudelft.nl

Optics Express
|July 1, 2010
PubMed
Summary

Researchers developed a new method to observe the geometric phase in light polarization changes. This Pancharatnam-Berry phase exhibits linear, nonlinear, and singular behaviors, with potential applications in optical switches.

Related Concept Videos

π Electron Effects on Chemical Shift: Aromatic and Antiaromatic Compounds01:14

π Electron Effects on Chemical Shift: Aromatic and Antiaromatic Compounds

In aromatic compounds, such as benzene, the circulation of (4n + 2) π-electrons sets up a diamagnetic or diatropic ring current around the perimeter of the molecule. This current induces a magnetic field that opposes the external field inside the ring and reinforces it on the outside. The protons in benzene are deshielded and exhibit high chemical shifts in the range 6.5–8.5 ppm. The shielding effect at the center of the ring is evident in complex aromatic molecules, such as annulenes. In...
¹³C NMR: Distortionless Enhancement by Polarization Transfer (DEPT)01:20

¹³C NMR: Distortionless Enhancement by Polarization Transfer (DEPT)

When proton-coupled carbon-13 spectra are simplified by a broadband proton decoupling technique, structural information about the coupled protons is lost. Distortionless enhancement by polarization transfer (DEPT) is a technique that provides information on the number of hydrogens attached to each carbon in a molecule. While the DEPT experiment utilizes complex pulse sequences, the pulse delay and flip angle are specifically manipulated. The resulting signals have different phases depending on...
Dielectric Polarization in a Capacitor01:31

Dielectric Polarization in a Capacitor

The presence of a dielectric medium in a capacitor not only changes the voltage and capacitance but also affects the electric field. In general, dielectrics can be of two types: polar and nonpolar. In a polar dielectric, the positive and negative charges in the molecules are separated by a distance and hence have a permanent dipole moment. In contrast, no such charge separation exists in a nonpolar dielectric, however the nonpolar molecules get polarized in the presence of an external electric...
Insensitive Nuclei Enhanced by Polarization Transfer (INEPT)01:15

Insensitive Nuclei Enhanced by Polarization Transfer (INEPT)

Insensitive Nuclei Enhanced by Polarization Transfer (INEPT) is an advanced Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) technique specifically designed to detect and enhance the signals of low-abundance nuclei, such as carbon-13 and nitrogen-15, in small molecules. The fundamental principle behind INEPT is the transfer of polarization from a more abundant and highly polarizable nucleus, typically hydrogen-1, to the low-abundance nucleus of interest. This process effectively boosts the NMR signal of the...
¹H NMR: Interpreting Distorted and Overlapping Signals01:02

¹H NMR: Interpreting Distorted and Overlapping Signals

Spin systems where the difference in chemical shifts of the coupled nuclei is greater than ten times J are called first-order spin systems. These nuclei are weakly coupled, and their chemical shifts and coupling constant can generally be estimated from the well-separated signals in the spectrum.
As Δν decreases and the signals move closer, the doublets appear increasingly distorted. The intensities of the inner lines increase at the cost of those of the outer lines as the signals are slanted or...
Group Polarization01:01

Group Polarization

Group polarization is the strengthening of an original group attitude following the discussion of views within a group (Teger & Pruitt, 1967). That is, if a group initially favors a viewpoint, after discussion the group consensus is likely a stronger endorsement of the viewpoint. Conversely, if the group was initially opposed to a viewpoint, group discussion would likely lead to stronger opposition.