Low-power laser deformation of an air-liquid interface

We report on the deformation of an air-water surface with a totally reflected low-power laser beam, inducing a convex mirror effect on the beam propagation. This bending is stronger close to the critical angle and depends on the polarization of the laser light. A model, leading to a simple dependence between the Goos-Hänchen shift and the radius of curvature of the interface, supports these observations. Bendings with radius of curvature as low as 0.10 m are demonstrated.