Difference between the second-Brewster and pseudo-Brewster angles when polarized light is reflected at a dielectric-conductor interface

A Alsamman; R M A Azzam

doi:10.1364/JOSAA.27.001156

Difference between the second-Brewster and pseudo-Brewster angles when polarized light is reflected at a dielectric-conductor interface

J Opt Soc Am A Opt Image Sci Vis. 2010 May 1;27(5):1156-61. doi: 10.1364/JOSAA.27.001156.

Authors

A Alsamman¹, R M A Azzam

Affiliation

¹ Department of Electrical Engineering, University of New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana 70148, USA. aalsamma@uno.edu

PMID: 20448783
DOI: 10.1364/JOSAA.27.001156

Abstract

For a given pseudo-Brewster angle phi(pB) of minimum reflectance |r(p)| of p-polarized light at a dielectric-conductor interface, the second-Brewster angle phi(2B) of minimum reflectance ratio |rho|=|r(p)|/|r(s)| of the p and s polarizations is determined for all possible values of the complex relative dielectric function epsilon that lead to the same phi(pB). The difference phi(2B)-phi(pB) is considered as a function of phi(pB) and theta=arg(epsilon). For any given phi(pB), the difference phi(2B)-phi(pB)=0 at theta=0(epsilon(r)>0,epsilon(i)=0) increases monotonically as a function of theta and reaches maximum value {phi(2B)-phi(pB)}(max) in the limit as theta-->180 degrees (epsilon(r)<0,epsilon(i)=0). This maximum difference {phi(2B)-phi(pB)}(max) has an upper limit of 15.701 degrees when phi(pB)=28.195 degrees.