Selection rules for optical activity and linear birefringence bilinear in electric and magnetic fields

Abstract

All independent geometric factors are derived for the possible polarisation dependence of optical activity and linear birefringence effects bilinear in a static electric and magnetic field, for fluids. The extension to oriented systems is illustrated. Differences between the methods used and results obtained with those of earlier workers are noted and where possible resolved. Several optical effects predicted to exist by earlier workers are shown to be forbidden, and vice versa. In particular the Jones birefringence should appear in E1/M1 coupling for all fluids, irrespective of the centrosymmetric or non-magnetic character of the system, and there exist field-dependent refractive index contributions which reverse with the direction of the light beam and are detectable by a ring laser.

Quantum Vacuum Contribution to the Momentum of Dielectric Media

“…The χ xy + χ yx ≈ 1e − 11 was recently observed [32] by measurement of magnetoelectric linear birefringence (17) in external electric E ext = 1e5V /m and magnetic B ext = 17T fields. The contribution of the non-local terms [36][32] to ∆n, leading to ∆n ∝ 1/λ, can significantly increase the value of (22).…”

A density functional theory study of magneto-electric Jones birefringence of noble gases, furan homologues, and mono-substituted benzenes

“…For such a quantity, early, very approximate estimates by Graham and Raab 29 and Ross and co-workers 34 predict values of the order of twice the fine structure constant (α fs ≈0.01459).…”

“…The application of additional perturbations, as it happens when external and not necessarily uniform electric and magnetic fields are introduced in the experimental design, yields further complications to the picture, implying the combination of first-order, linear and nonlinear properties, bearing the signature of the various multipoles excited by the combined effect of light and fields. 1,3 Examples which have been studied in some depth in our groups are Kerr,8,9 Optical Kerr, [10][11][12] Cotton-Mouton, [13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20] Buckingham, [21][22][23][24][25][26][27] magnetoelectric and Jones [28][29][30][31][32][33][34] linear birefringences; Faraday 4,[35][36][37] and optical Faraday 38 circular birefringences; magnetochiral axial birefringence; 39,40 or magnetic circular [41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49] and magnetochiral …”

“…In this paper, we concentrate on Jones and magnetoelectric linear birefringences, [28][29][30][31][32][33][34] observable when linearly polarized light impinges on a uniaxial crystal or on homogeneous fluid samples subjected to both external electric and magnetic fields, aligned parallel (Jones) or perpendicular (magnetoelectric) to each other, and perpendicular to the direction of propagation of light. These two birefringences, differing in the experimental arrangement, yield equivalent expressions for the observable, 29,31 and are therefore indistinguishable from the theoretical and computational point of view.…”

Magnetoelectric birefringence revisited

“…Distinct proposals for its theoretical description were presented in [21,22,23,24], where some new aspects of this phenomenon were predicted. Among them, the existence of the so called magnetoelectric birefringence was discussed, which is a kind of birefringence linear in the product of the electric and magnetic fields.…”