Abstract

The ability to predict changes in optical properties induced by an external electric field is necessary for the design and analysis of electrooptic devices. However, the small electrically induced perturbations in the impermeability tensor create a potentially unstable numerical problem. A procedure employing the general Jacobi method is introduced for calculating the principal indices of refraction and the orientations of the index ellipsoid when an electric field is applied. The method is applicable to an arbitrary isotropic, uniaxial, or biaxial crystal class with an arbitrary direction of applied field. It includes a straightforward approach for consistent labeling of the new principal dielectric axes so as to produce the minimum global rotation of the ellipsoid from the zero-field principal dielectric axes. The necessary calculations can be implemented with a pocket calculator and are usually found to be more accurate than those obtained from larger computers using standard library math packages. Furthermore, to analyze device performance, simple expressions are derived for the orientations of the fast and slow polarization axes and the corresponding indices of refraction, given an arbitrary direction of applied electric field and an arbitrary direction of optical propagation. Illustrative examples are presented.

© 1988 Optical Society of America