Abstract
It is shown experimentally that a Gaussian beam focused from within a finite wedge onto its edge at an angle of total reflection excites a leaky waveguide mode propagating along the edge. This newly described phenomenon is interpreted in terms of waveguide modes of a tapered dielectric slab of a mode index, which is known to decrease with slab thickness. This decrease in the refractive index leads to a gradual refraction of the incident beam parallel to the edge. A numerical simulation of a focused Gaussian beam incident on a finite dielectric wedge gives a full account of this phenomenon.
© 2009 Optical Society of America
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