Geometric phase-space nonseparability triggers giant optical shifts

Abstract

Nonseparability among multiple degrees of freedom has enabled fundamental advances in structured light and related applications. Here we unveil a previously overlooked form of nonseparability in phase space, which we term geometric phase-space nonseparability. The latter arises solely from the wavefront curvature of a conventional wave packet, such as a fundamental Gaussian beam. This phase-space structure manifests as a position-dependent transverse-momentum distribution across the beam profile leading to the giant spatial and angular beam shifts upon reflection at a planar interface that we predict analytically and observe experimentally. Remarkably, the curvature-induced phase-space correlation remains robust against spatial-coherence degradation, allowing the giant shifts to persist even in the nearly incoherent regime. Our results establish wavefront curvature as a general mechanism for engineering beam shifts across optical, acoustic, and matter-wave systems.