Circular polarization-splitting common-path interferometer based on a zero-twist liquid crystal display

Abstract

It is present a unique compact optical circular-polarization-splitting common-path interferometer, described based on a zero-twist liquid crystal display (LCD) [1]. A blazed diffraction grating is encoded onto the LCD. The optical train produces two beams, a reference beam with a sense of circular polarized light and a diffracted one with the opposite sense of circular polarized light. Using a linear polarizer, these two beams form an interferogram that can be used to analyze optically active media. The detail of the light behaviour through the optical train is present using Jones matrix's.