Circular differential scattering of polarized light by a chiral random medium

Jérôme Crassous (1) , Axelle Amon (1) , Jeanne Crassous (2)

1 IPR - Institut de Physique de Rennes
2 ISCR - Institut des Sciences Chimiques de Rennes

Differential scattering of left- and right-handed circularly polarized waves is a general property of scattering media lacking space-inversion symmetry. We show in this paper that this scattering difference has remarkable properties in the case of an almost transparent chiral random medium. By tuning the refractive indices of the materials composing the medium, this scattering difference can be varied and even inverted. Within the limit of a dense scattering material, the difference of scattering cross sections between polarizations of opposite handedness can be largely adjusted. These properties are illustrated by measurement of the difference between the transmission of right- and left-handed polarized waves through a chiral Christiansen filter.

Domaines: Chimie inorganique

Jérôme Crassous, Axelle Amon, Jeanne Crassous. Circular differential scattering of polarized light by a chiral random medium. Physical Review A : Atomic, molecular, and optical physics [1990-2015], 2012, 85 (2), pp.023806. ⟨10.1103/PhysRevA.85.023806⟩. ⟨hal-00848202⟩