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Imaging the Gouy phase shift in photonic jets with a wavefront sensor
Pierre Bon1, Brice Rolly, Nicolas Bonod
1Institut Fresnel, CNRS UMR 7249, Aix-Marseille Université, Ecole Centrale Marseille, Marseille, France. pierre.bon@fresnel.fr
Optics Letters
|September 4, 2012
Summary
Researchers directly imaged the Gouy phase shift in photonic nanojets using wavefront sensing. The observed shift combines the expected Gouy shift with a bead refraction effect, impacting optical applications.
Area of Science:
- Optics and Photonics
- Electromagnetism
Background:
- Photonic nanojets are highly focused light beams generated by scattering from dielectric nanoparticles.
- The Gouy phase shift is a fundamental property of light beams experiencing a focal point.
Purpose of the Study:
- To directly observe and characterize the Gouy phase shift within photonic nanojets.
- To investigate the influence of dielectric sphere refraction on the phase shift in nanojets.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a wavefront sensor for direct imaging of light amplitude and phase distributions.
- Employed rigorous electromagnetic computation for theoretical validation.
- Created photonic nanojets using micrometer-sized dielectric spheres.
Main Results:
- Direct imaging of the Gouy phase shift in photonic nanojets was achieved.
- Experimental results showed good agreement with electromagnetic computations.
- The observed phase shift is a composite of the Gouy shift and a bead-induced refractive shift.
Conclusions:
- Wavefront sensing provides a direct method for observing phase shifts in nano-optics.
- Understanding these combined phase shifts is crucial for applications in advanced optical technologies.
- This technique has potential applications in microscopy, diffractive optics, and optical trapping.
