Large and negative lateral displacement in an active dielectric slab configuration

We investigate the large negative lateral displacements of TE polarized light beams reflected from or transmitted through an active slab surrounded by transparent medium. The large negative displacements can be achieved when the incidence angle of the beam is less than but close to the critical angle for total reflection. It is also shown that both the reflectivity and transmissivity of the beam that correspond to the large negative displacements can be enhanced by active medium. These phenomena may lead to convenient measurements and interesting applications in optical devices. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.