Shift vector as the geometric origin of beam shifts
Shift vector as the geometric origin of beam shifts
Goos-H\"anchen (GH) and Imbert-Fedorov (IF) shifts are lateral and transverse displacements of a wave packet reflecting off a surface. A dramatic real-space manifestation of wave-packet phases, they have traditionally been analyzed in a model-dependent fashion. Here, we argue that GH and IF shifts admit a general geometrical description and arise …