Effect of substrate and lid on the optical response of an axially excited slab of a dielectric thin-film helicoidal bianisotropic medium

The optical response of a thin-film helicoidal bianisotropic medium (TFHBM) slab to a normally incident plane wave is shown to be affected by a substrate and a lid, both nondissipative. The theoretical transmissivity of the TFHBM changes with the incorporation of the substrate and the lid, as does the optical rotation. The apparent circular dichroism changes slightly in the Bragg regime, but the true circular dichroism does not appear to be greatly affected by the substrate and lid. These results are pertinent to experimental characterization of TFHBMs.