A Translational Polarization Rotator

Abstract

We explore a free-space polarization modulator in which a variable phase introduction between right- and left-handed circular polarization components is used to rotate the linear polarization of the outgoing beam relative to that of the incoming beam. In this device, the polarization states are separated by a circular polarizer that consists of a quarter-wave plate in combination with a wire grid. A movable mirror is positioned behind and parallel to the circular polarizer. As the polarizer-mirror distance is separated, an incident linear polarization will be rotated through an angle that is proportional to the introduced phase delay. We demonstrate a prototype device that modulates Stokes Q and U over a 20% bandwidth, from 77 to 94 GHz.

13 pages, 6 figures, submitted to Applied Optics

References in corpus (5)

• Properties of a Variable-delay Polarization Modulator
• Modeling dielectric half-wave plates for cosmic microwave background polarimetry using a Mueller matrix formalism
• The Primordial Inflation Polarization Explorer (PIPER)
• The Hertz/VPM polarimeter: Design and first light observations
• Vector Reflectometry in a Beam Waveguide

Cited by in corpus (6)

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• Development of large radii half-wave plates for CMB satellite missions
• Submillimeter Polarimetry with PolKa, a reflection-type modulator for the APEX telescope
• Variable-delay Polarization Modulators for Cryogenic Millimeter-wave Applications
• Systematic effects induced by Half Wave Plate precession into Cosmic Microwave Background polarization measurements
• Development and application of metamaterial-based Half-Wave Plates for the NIKA and NIKA2 polarimeters