Polarization effects in lasers, spectroscopy and optoelectronics, PELS 2000

The study of the polarization state of light offers a number of unique spectroscopic opportunities. These arise from the astonishing accuracy and virtually unlimited dynamic range of polarization measurements and the amazing sensitivity of the light polarization state to the optical properties of a medium. This sensitivity is a result of the fact that polarization phenomena are essentially vectorial interference effects. Since the beginning of the twentieth century, polarization spectroscopy has been systematically used, and has produced exciting results, in materials science, chemistry, biology and physics, and for testing fundamental laws of symmetry in nature. Polarization instability in lasers and formation of two-dimensional patterns are other examples where nonlinear polarization-sensitive interaction of light beams plays a key role. Among new topics where the study of the vectorial structure of light is an indispensable tool are microstructured anizotropic and chiral materials, micro-cavities and photonic crystals and fibres. Although some results on vectorial effects in nonlinear optics may now be found in books [1,2], the subject develops very rapidly and interest in polarization effects in nonlinear optics and spectroscopy is booming, a fact which is reflected, in particular, in the number of research publications devoted to the subjec