Abstract
A real-time measurement method for the retardation of an eighth-wave plate is
proposed. The collimated laser beam is split using a Glan Taylor polarizer with two
side escape windows. The reflected sub-beam is detected using a detector, whereas
the transmitted sub-beam passes through the quarter-wave plate and the eighth-wave
plate of interest. Then, it is reflected by the mirror and passes reversely through
the eighth- and quarter-wave plates. Finally, it is analyzed using the Glan Taylor
polarizer and detected using another detector. With two detection signals, the
retardation is resolved and found to be independent of the fast-axis direction,
initial intensity, and circuit parameters. In the experiment, a crystal quartz
sample is measured at different fast-axis angles. The standard deviation of the
retardation is 0.9°. The usefulness of the method is verified.
© 2012 Chinese Optics Letters
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