Tunable spin-dependent splitting of light beam in a chiral metamaterial slab

Spin-dependent splitting of the reflected beam for the chiral metamaterial slab is investigated by analyzing the spatial transverse shifts (TSs) of the two spin-dependent components of the reflected beam. Two components refer to the right-circularly polarized and left-circularly polarized reflected wave components. The influences of the physical parameters and the polarization of the incident beam on the spin-dependent splitting are discussed. The results show that two components are asymmetric due to the cross-polarization of the electromagnetic fields in chiral slab. By adjusting the angle of incidence and the polarization state of the incident beam, the spatial splitting can be enhanced. Moreover, the effect of the thickness on the spatial TSs of the two components becomes weak with increasing the angle of incidence. To one's interest, the spin-dependent splitting also can be realized for two special linear (TE and TM) polarization. Our study may provide an opportunity to realize and control the transverse splitting of the light, and open up the possibility for developing new nanophotonic devices. (paper)