Physics Asked on August 21, 2020
By definition from Wikipedia, the beam splitter (BS) operation $U_{BS} = begin{pmatrix} t & r r & t end{pmatrix} = begin{pmatrix} costheta & -isintheta -isintheta & costheta end{pmatrix}$, and the rotation matrix $R=begin{pmatrix} costheta & -sintheta sintheta & costheta end{pmatrix}$. Now a mirror is just a BS with $r=1$. Therefore it seems that $U_{Mirror} = begin{pmatrix} costheta & 1 1 & costheta end{pmatrix}$. However, it is mentioned on the same Wikipedia page that $U_{Mirror} = R$!
Now a mirror is just a BS with $r=1$. Therefore it seems that $U_{Mirror} = begin{pmatrix} costheta & 1 1 & costheta end{pmatrix}$.
This is incomplete. If $|r|=|sin(theta)|=1$, then $theta=pi/2$ and $cos(theta)=0$, so $$U_mathrm{mirror} = begin{pmatrix} 0 & 1 1 & 0 end{pmatrix}.$$
The Wikipedia page's assertion that the unitary corresponding to a mirror is a rotation matrix $R(theta)$ with variable $theta$ is incorrect.
That said, the details of what unitary needs to be used to describe a mirror will depend on exactly what labelling convention you use, so they cannot be given up front without that specification.
Answered by Emilio Pisanty on August 21, 2020
Get help from others!
Recent Questions
Recent Answers
© 2024 TransWikia.com. All rights reserved. Sites we Love: PCI Database, UKBizDB, Menu Kuliner, Sharing RPP