On the sensitivity of directions which support Voigt wave propagation in infiltrated biaxial dielectric materials

Abstract

Voigt wave propagation (VWP) was considered in a porous biaxial dielectric material which was infiltrated with a material of refractive index $n_a$. The infiltrated material was regarded as a homogenized composite material in the long-wavelength regime and its constitutive parameters were estimated using the extended Bruggeman homogenization formalism. In our numerical studies, the directions which support VWP were found to vary by as much as $300^\circ$ per RIU as the refractive index $n_a$ was varied. The sensitivities achieved were acutely dependent upon the refractive index $n_a$ and the degrees of anisotropy and dissipation of the porous biaxial material. The orientations, shapes and sizes of the particles which constitute the infiltrating material and the porous biaxial material exerted only a secondary influence on the maximum sensitivities achieved. Also, for the parameter ranges considered, the degree of porosity of the biaxial material had little effect on the maximum sensitivities achieved. These numerical findings bode well for the possible harnessing of VWP for optical sensing applications.