Optical activity measurements by interferometry-diffraction technique: Test with BSO crystals

Abstract

To measure the optical rotation of a material, we propose a technique which involves a Mach-Zehnder interferometer and an optical Fourier processor 2F. The method uses the contrast dependence of interference fringes with the angle between the polarization planes of two interferometer beams. The technique allows for following the dynamic variations of optical activity, directly observing the changes in the intensity of diffraction orders in the exit plane of the Fourier processor 2F. We present the results. © 2014 Photonics Society of Poland.