We have measured the spin-dependent nanometer-sized displacements of the spin Hall effect of the reflected light from a planar air-glass interface. In the case of the vertical polarization, the displacement is found to increase with the incident angle and subsequently decrease after approximately 48 deg, while in the case of the horizontal polarization, it changes rapidly near the Brewster angle. For a fixed incident angle of 30 deg, the displacement decreases to zero as the polarization angle approaches approximately 39 deg from 0 deg (the horizontal polarization) and then increases in the opposite direction until 90 deg (the vertical polarization).

We theoretically and experimentally study the spin Hall effect of reflected light at an air-uniaxial crystal interface. The spin-dependent nanometer-sized displacements depend not only on the incident polarization and the incident angle of the light beam, but also on the orientation of the crystal optic axis. The experimental results are in perfect agreement with theoretical predictions for the vertical and horizontal polarization incidence.

Terahertz (THz) air-biased-coherent-detection (ABCD) uses a local oscillator to enhance THz-wave detection sensitivity by mixing an optical field, a THz field, and a biased electric field (local oscillator) in air. The width of the electrodes providing the local oscillator, the longitudinal distribution of the optical and THz waves, both play important roles in the overall detection sensitivity. By analyzing the effect of the Gouy phase shift on the electric field distribution at the mixing location, we determine the optimal electrode width and observe an enhancement of the detection efficiency by a factor of two relative to the traditional THz-ABCD system using thin-wire electrodes.

No abstract

Article that has been accepted for inclusion in a future issue of a journal. Content is final as presented, with the exception of pagination.