Abstract

The electro-optic effect in internal reflection near the critical angle can directly modulate the reflectance of an optical beam with microwave electrical signals. The measured change in reflectance is 1.3 × 10⁻⁶ V_rms⁻¹ cm for each applied microwave electric field, and modulation has been detected with input microwave signals as small as 10 mV_rms. We present the theoretical explanation of this interaction in two complementary pictures, one picture based on nonlinear-optical theory and one based on electro-optics. Our experiments with fundamental optical and electrical properties match the predictions of both theories. The most salient feature of the electro-optic effect in internal reflection is that the strength of the modulation peaks sharply at the critical angle.

© 1994 Optical Society of America

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