Illustration from Scientific Research

Illustration of the concept of generating CD from off-axes twist-stacking of two hyperbolic thin films. The large LB of the first hyperbolic film induces phase retardation and modification of the polarization state from chiral to elliptical. The angle of the elliptical major axis depends on the chirality of the incident light, which means that the strength of the polarization component that becomes aligned with the metallic direction of the second thin film will be different for left-handed and right-handed light. This leads to CD in both reflection/transmission (light propagation direction indicated by the blue arrows) by the second layer due to its large LD in the hyperbolic region. Note that the light is normal to the plane of the films in the simulations and measurements, while depicted at a non-normal angle of incidence in the illustration to more easily distinguish incident and reflected beams.

DOI