Numerical investigation of reflection, refraction, and diffraction of pulsed optical beams by chiral sculptured thin films

We study the scattering of pulsed optical beams from chiral sculptured thin films (STFs). The spatiotemporal anatomy of the circular Bragg phenomenon (CBP) exhibited by chiral STFs is examined in two spatial dimensions, and we comment on its implications for pulsed beam shaping by STF-based devices. We highlight several differences between the time-domain manifestation of the CBP for pulsed plane waves and pulsed beams; and we present the reflection, refraction, and diffraction of a pulsed beam when it impinges upon the corner of a chiral STF.