Disentangling x-ray dichroism and birefringence via high-purity polarimetry

Schmitt AT, Joly Y, Schulze KS, Marx-Glowna B, Uschmann I, Grabiger B, Bernhardt H, Loetzsch R, Juhin A, Debray J, Wille HC, Yavas H, Paulus GG, Roehlsberger R (2021)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2021

Journal

Optica Optical Society of America

Book Volume: 8

Pages Range: 56-61

Journal Issue: 1

DOI: 10.1364/OPTICA.410357

Abstract

High-brilliance synchrotron radiation sources have opened new avenues for x-ray polarization analysis that go far beyond conventional polarimetry in the optical domain. With linear x-ray polarizers in a crossed setting, polarization extinction ratios down to 10−10 can be achieved. This renders the method sensitive to probe the tiniest optical anisotropies that would occur, for example, in strong-field quantum electrodynamics due to vacuum birefringence and dichroism. Here we show that high-purity polarimetry can be employed to reveal electronic anisotropies in condensed matter systems with utmost sensitivity and spectral resolution. Taking CuO and La2CuO4 as benchmark systems, we present a full characterization of the polarization changes across the Cu K-absorption edge and their separation into dichroic and birefringent contributions. At diffraction-limited synchrotron radiation sources and x-ray lasers, where polarization extinction ratios of 10−12 can be achieved, our method has the potential to assess birefringence and dichroism of the quantum vacuum in extreme electromagnetic fields.

Involved external institutions

Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena DE Germany (DE) University of Grenoble Alpes (UGA) / Université de Grenoble FR France (FR) University of Paris 4 - Paris-Sorbonne / Université paris IV Paris-Sorbonne FR France (FR) Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY DE Germany (DE)

How to cite

APA:

Schmitt, A.T., Joly, Y., Schulze, K.S., Marx-Glowna, B., Uschmann, I., Grabiger, B.,... Roehlsberger, R. (2021). Disentangling x-ray dichroism and birefringence via high-purity polarimetry. Optica, 8(1), 56-61. https://doi.org/10.1364/OPTICA.410357

MLA:

Schmitt, Annika T., et al. "Disentangling x-ray dichroism and birefringence via high-purity polarimetry." Optica 8.1 (2021): 56-61.

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