Open AccessComplete Stokes polarimetry of magneto-optical Faraday effect in a terbium gallium garnet crystal at cryogenic temperatures
Author(s) -
Hassaan Majeed,
Amrozia Shaheen,
Muhammad Sabieh Anwar
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
optics express
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.394
H-Index - 271
ISSN - 1094-4087
DOI - 10.1364/oe.21.025148
Subject(s) - verdet constant , polarizer , polarimetry , faraday effect , terbium , optics , materials science , polarization (electrochemistry) , faraday cage , optical isolator , circular polarization , stokes parameters , optoelectronics , birefringence , magnetic field , laser , physics , chemistry , quantum mechanics , luminescence , scattering , microstrip
We report the complete determination of the polarization changes caused in linearly polarized incident light due to propagation in a magneto-optically active terbium gallium garnet (TGG) single crystal, at temperatures ranging from 6.3 to 300 K. A 28-fold increase in the Verdet constant of the TGG crystal is seen as its temperature decreases to 6.3 K. In contrast with polarimetry of light emerging from a Faraday material at room temperature, polarimetry at cryogenic temperatures cannot be carried out using the conventional fixed polarizer-analyzer technique because the assumption that ellipticity is negligible becomes increasingly invalid as temperature is lowered. It is shown that complete determination of light polarization in such a case requires the determination of its Stokes parameters, otherwise inaccurate measurements will result with negative implications for practical devices.