Propagation-dependent beam profile distortion associated with the Goos-Hanchen shift.

The propagation-dependent profile distortion of the reflected beam is studied via deriving the theoretical model of the optical field distribution in both the near and far field. It is shown that strong and fast-varying beam distortions can occur along the propagation path, compared to the profile on the reflecting surface. Numerical simulations for the case of a typical SPR configuration with a sharp angular response curve reveal that, when the phase distribution in the angular range covered by the input beam becomes nonlinear, previous theories based on the linear phase approximation fail to predict the Goos-Hanchen shift and its propagation-dependent variations precisely. Our study could shed light on more accurate modeling of the Goos-Hanchen effect's impact on the relevant photonic devices and measurement applications.