We demonstrate optically thin quarter-wave plates built with metasurfaces that generate high-quality circularly polarized light over a broad wavelength range for arbitrary orientation of the incident linear polarization. The metasurface consists of an array of plasmonic antennas with spatially varying phase and polarization responses. Experimentally demonstrated quarter-wave plates generate lig...

The polarization of light emitted during inelastic tunneling of electrons into both Au(111) and Fe(001) using W(111) tips in an STM junction has been fully characterized by measuring the Stokes parameters. The emitted light for both Au(111) and Fe(001) is fully polarized; it is predominantly linearly polarized in the plane formed by the tip axis and direction of light emission. For both samples...

Polarization is the phenomenon that describes the oscillations orientation of the light (or other radiation) waves which are restricted in direction [1]. Light’s vector orientation can be weekly detected by some humans with their naked eyes, but humans need the help of polarizing optics to visulize most invisible polarization effects [2]. Many fish, cephalopods, crustaceans, insects, and other ...

Many animals can use the polarization of light in various behavioural contexts. Birds are well known to use information from the skylight polarization pattern for orientation and compass calibration. However, there are few controlled studies of polarization vision in birds, and the majority of them have not been successful in convincingly demonstrating polarization vision. We used a two-alterna...

Background: The spectral polarization state and dimensionality of random light are important concepts in modern optical physics and photonics. Methods: By use of space-frequency domain coherence theory, we establish a rigorous classification for the electricfield vector to oscillate in one, two, or three spatial dimensions. Results: We also introduce a new measure, the polarimetric dimension, t...

Many migrating insects rely on the plane of sky polarization as a cue to detect spatial directions. Desert locusts (Schistocerca gregaria), like other insects, perceive polarized light through specialized photoreceptors in a dorsal eye region. Desert locusts occur in two phases: a gregarious swarming phase, which migrates during the day, and a solitarious nocturnal phase. Neurons in a small bra...

One of the most promising physical properties for implementing quantum technology is light polarization. However, since light polarization is fragile, it is crucial to use quantum error correction (QEC) in order to make quantum information over optical networks feasible. This paper performs a statistical analysis of a redundant-free technique to correct errors on information sent through light ...

PURPOSE To improve the ability to detect and quantify the early retinal changes associated with aging, age-related maculopathy, and age-related macular degeneration. METHODS A computational approach was implemented for analyzing images using a readily available polarimeter that is used for glaucoma diagnosis. This device, the GDx Nerve Fiber Analyzer (Laser Diagnostic Technologies, Inc., San ...

We experimentally demonstrate that standing waves formed by two coherent counter-propagating light waves can take a variety of forms, offering new approaches to the interrogation and control of polarization-sensitive light-matter interactions in ultrathin (subwavelength thickness) media. In contrast to familiar energy standing waves, polarization standing waves have constant electric and magnet...

Polarization control is a key feature of light generated by short-wavelength free-electron lasers. In this work, we report the first experimental characterization of the polarization properties of an extreme ultraviolet high gain free-electron laser operated with crossed polarized undulators. We investigate the average degree of polarization and the shot-to-shot stability and we analyze aspects...