Observation of the Imbert-Fedorov effect via weak value amplification

Abstract

Weak measurements have recently allowed for the observation of the spin-Hall effect of light in reflection or transmission, which is a spin-dependent light beam shift orthogonal to the plane of incidence. We report here the observation of the Imbert-Fedorov shift via a weak value amplification scheme. The Imbert-Fedorov effect does not depend on the spin of the incident photon only, but it has richer polarization dependence. We prove that weak measurements allow for a complete experimental characterization of the polarization properties of this tiny optical effect.