Bragg reflectors for cylindrical waves

Abstract

Abstract A transfer matrix method is developed to calculate the electromagnetic field in a dielectric structure with circular cylindrical symmetry. The equations for the reflection and transmission coefficients of cylindrical waves from a single cylindrical boundary between two dielectrics and from a cylindrical multilayered structure are obtained. For a single dielectric interface, enhanced reflection at small interface radii and the analogue of the Brewster effect are predicted and investigated. The design of an optimized cylindrical Bragg reflector (CBR) for cylindrical waves is proposed and its optical properties are studied. It is found that the thicknesses of the layers in the CBR must be different, to provide the adjustment of the phase of the waves, that are reflected from the interfaces at different radii.