Terahertz polarization conversion with quartz waveplate sets

Abstract

We present the resultsofcalculation and experimental testing of an achromatic polarization converter and a composite terahertz waveplate (WP), which are represented by sets of plane-parallel birefringent plates with in-plane birefringence axis. The calculations took into account the effect of interference, which was especially prominent when plates were separated by an air gap. The possibility of development of a spectrum analyzer design based on a set of WPs is also discussed. © 2013 Optical Society of America.