Quantum Field Theory of Optical Birefringence Phenomena. I. Linear and Nonlinear Optical Rotation

✍ Scribed by Atkins, P. W.; Barron, L. D.

• Book ID: 120143374
• Publisher: The Royal Society
• Year: 1968
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 525 KB
• Volume: 304
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0962-8444
• DOI: 10.1098/rspa.1968.0088

✦ Synopsis

A general approach to the discussion of optical birefringence phenomena is presented. It is based on the
S
-matrix approach to photon scattering in a nonrelativistic quantum field theoretical formalism and the Stokes operator description of polarization. The use of a canonically transformed interaction Hamiltonian in combination with diagrammatic perturbation theory enables the response of a system to electromagnetic radiation to be calculated in a straightforward and consistent manner to any order in the perturbation, and the effect of static fields is included easily. As an illustration, the angle of rotation of a beam of plane-polarized light by a solution of optically active molecules is calculated and the intensity dependence of the angle determined. The latter phenomenon should become apparent at high photon flux densities particularly when
ω
, the frequency of the incident light, or 2
ω
are similar to electronic excitation frequencies in the optically active molecules.