In 1943 V.L. Ginzburg derived a simple and elegant solution to the polarization optics problem for the case where a linear birefringent medium is uniformly twisted along the optical axis. In a torsion-comoving helical coordinate frame, mutually orthogonal polarization eigenmodes of such optical medium are characterized by two ellipses with the electric field vector bypassed in the opposite sense. Current applications of V.L. Ginzburg's theory are reviewed.

Keywords: polarization modes, helical system of coordinates, history of physics PACS: 01.65.+g, 41.20.Jb, 42.25.Lc (all) DOI: 10.3367/UFNe.2016.11.037984 URL: https://ufn.ru/en/articles/2016/12/e/ 000396007200004 2-s2.0-85014930091 2016PhyU...59.1245M Citation: Malykin G B "V.L. Ginzburg's helical elliptic polarization modes and their application" Phys. Usp. 59 1245–1248 (2016) BibTexBibNote ® (generic)BibNote ® (RIS)MedlineRefWorks Received: 14th, April 2016, revised: 23rd, May 2016, accepted: 11th, November 2016 Оригинал: Малыкин Г Б «Винтовые эллиптические поляризационные моды В.Л. Гинзбурга и их применение» УФН 186 1355–1358 (2016); DOI: 10.3367/UFNr.2016.11.037984 V.L. Ginzburg is author and editor of Physics-Uspekhi