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Application of the Phase Difference of the Variable Components of the Stokes Vector for Measuring Linear Birefringence



Author(s)

Igor Linchevskyi and Ira Mizyunska

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DOI:10.17265/2159-5348/2017.05.007

Faculty of Physics and Mathematics, Institute of Igor Sikorsky Kyiv, Polytechnic National Technical University of Ukraine, Kiev 03056, Ukraine

To investigate the magneto-optical properties of new materials, a method for measuring linear birefringence based on a change in the initial phase of the variable component of the signal at the output of the photopolarimeter was developed. For this purpose, there was used a magneto-optical modulator, at the output of which the variable components of the Stokes vector have different initial phases. The advantage of the method is the absence of rotating optical elements, the independence of the measurement results with a change in the intensity in the optical circuit, which simplifies the measurement process. As an example, the results of measurements of magnetic linear birefringence in a film of yttrium garnet ferrite are given. The minimal increment of the phase shift between optical waves polarized along orthogonal linear polarizations (the Cotton-Mouton effect), which was measured in this experiment is 0.01 deg.

Linear birefringence, photopolarimeter, Stokes parameters, magneto-optical crystal.