Abstract
When a linearly polarized optical beam passes through a half-wave plate, the direction of the polarization is rotated by an angle that is twice the angular separation between the polarization and the axis of the half-wave plate. Therefore, knowledge of initial polarization states is required in order to align the axis of the half-wave plate for a given rotational angle. Apparently, it is difficult to use half-wave plates for a uniform polarization rotation in optical beams with dynamic or mixed polarization states. These types of beams have wide applications in communication, material processing, holography, and optical acceleration. However, if another half-wave plate is added after the first one, the net rotational angle of polarization of the emerging beam becomes twice the angular separation of the axes of the two plates and is independent of the initial polarization direction. As a result, half-wave plates provide a convenient way of converting a laser beam of radial polarization into one of azimuthal polarization, and vice versa (Fig. 1). Such conversion would not be possible with conventional polarization rotators. In this paper, theory of the direction-independent polarization rotator and its operational tolerance are described. Schemes of polarization conversion that use this device are presented.
© 1995 Optical Society of America
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