Experimental studies of polarization of laser radiation in a rotating optical glass

Abstract

The results of experiments on observation of rotation of the plane of polarization of coherent laser radiation with wavelength λ = 0.632991 μm after propagation through a rotating optical disk made of TF3 glass with refractive index n = 1.71250 are analyzed. The experiments were conducted at angle of ray incidence on the flat disk surface ϑ0 = 60°, and the rotational speed of the disk was varied from 0 to 200 Hz in both directions. The results indicate that rotation of optically transparent, homogeneous, and isotropic dielectric causes rotation of linear polarization of the monochromatic electromagnetic plane wave by several tens of degrees. At a rotational speed of 3 Hz, the rotation of polarization reached Δφ = 70° for the vertical component of laser output polarization. The dependences of the angle of rotation of polarization and the degree of polarization of the rays on rotational speed are nonlinear and are attributed to the appearance of substantial anisotropic properties in a rotating dielectric.