Abstract

When well-collimated light beams are incident near the critical angle upon a portion σ₁ of a plane interface between two dielectric media, light flux can flow along the interface to a neighboring portion σ₂ and reappear within the denser medium at the critical angle. Qualitative experiments together with a few precise experiments are presented for ascertaining the nature of this power flow along interfaces between homogeneous media. The observations are shown to be consistent with the interpretation that the beam suffers refraction into the less dense medium and that diffraction at area σ₁ deviates considerable power along the grazing direction into the area σ₂. Precision goniometry shows that this power redirected along the grazing direction possesses a sharp maximum for monochromatic beams at an angle of incidence about one second of arc below the critical angle for total internal reflection.

© 1964 Optical Society of America

Transmission of Optical Energy Along Surfaces: Part II, Inhomogeneous Media

Harold Osterberg and Luther W. Smith
J. Opt. Soc. Am. 54(9) 1078-1084 (1964)

Optical Properties of Anodic-Oxide Interference Films on Uranium Immersed in Refractive Media*

W. P. Ellis and E. D. Megarity
J. Opt. Soc. Am. 54(2) 225-228 (1964)

Theory of Measurement of Flow Birefringence by Use of the Sénarmont Compensator. II. Effect of Quarter-Wave Plate Error and Polychromatism*

C. A. Hollingsworth, W. E. Kaiser, and W. T. Granquist
J. Opt. Soc. Am. 54(5) 633-637 (1964)

Reflection and Transmission Interference Filters Part I. Theory

L. N. Hadley and D. M. Dennison
J. Opt. Soc. Am. 37(6) 451-465 (1947)

Optical Constants of Metals in the Extreme Ultraviolet. I. A Modified Critical-Angle Technique for Measuring the Index of Refraction of Metals in the Extreme Ultraviolet*

W. R. Hunter
J. Opt. Soc. Am. 54(1) 15-19 (1964)