title: Leaky waveguide modes along the edge of a dielectric wedge.
abstract: It is shown experimentally that a Gaussian beam focused from within a finite wedge onto its edge at an angle of total reflection excites a leaky waveguide mode propagating along the edge. This newly described phenomenon is interpreted in terms of waveguide modes of a tapered dielectric slab of a mode index, which is known to decrease with slab thickness. This decrease in the refractive index leads to a gradual refraction of the incident beam parallel to the edge. A numerical simulation of a focused Gaussian beam incident on a finite dielectric wedge gives a full account of this phenomenon.
authors.affiliation: Physikalisches Institut, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität, 48149 Münster, Germany. t.maletzky@gmx.de
authors.forename: Tobias
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Maletzky
authors.forename: Kazuo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Thierry
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Grosjean
authors.forename: Ulrich C
authors.initials: UC
authors.lastname: Fischer