Total internal reflection of a Gaussian light beam

Abstract

An approximate theoretical model for calculating the reflected and refracted fields of a Gaussian light beam at a plane interface between two isotropic media is formulated on the basis of a Fourier integral. In the vicinity of the critical angle of incidence (for total internal reflection) the model predicts the presence of two refracted beams, one displaced along the interface by an amount equal to the Goos-Hänchen shift; curvature of the phase fronts and nonalignment of the effective directions of energy and phase propagation occur for each beam, as in an anisotropic medium.