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  • Open Access

Electric-magnetic geometric phase

Alex J. Vernon1,* and Konstantin Y. Bliokh1,2,3,†

  • *Contact author: alex.vernon@dipc.org
  • †Contact author: konstantin.bliokh@dipc.org
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Phys. Rev. Research 8, 023078 – Published 27 April, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/qs1r-6g64

Abstract

Geometric phases play an enormous role in optics and are generally associated with the evolution of light's polarization state on the Poincaré sphere, or its spin on the sphere of spin directions. Here, we put forward an optical geometric phase that appears exclusively in nonparaxial light, resulting from cyclic changes to the relative amplitude and phase between the electric and magnetic fields. This phase is naturally represented on a recently introduced “electric-magnetic” sphere.

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Outline

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Phys. Rev. Research 8, 023078– Published 27 April, 2026
  • Received 14 November 2025
  • Accepted 25 March 2026
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