We want to make a quarter-wave (λ/4) plate at free space wavelength λ0=633nm using a birefringent material with nfast= 2.23 and nslow=2.25 at that wavelength.
A) Find the required thickness, D.
B) In an experiment, we pass a linearly polarized optical beam at 633nm through the designed quarter-wave plate and monitor the output polarization and power. The output polarization is the same as the input polarization (linear) and the output power is close to the input power. Can you explain how this might happen?
C) To obtain the best performance from an acousto-optic modulator, it is recommended to use circular polarization for the input beam. Suppose we want both the input beam and output beam of this device to be linearly polarized. Design a system by adding appropriate waveplates to achieve this goal while obtaining the best performance. Comment on the direction of the axes of the waveplates you want to use.