Terahertz birefringence for orientation analysis

Appl Opt. 2009 Apr 10;48(11):2037-44. doi: 10.1364/ao.48.002037.

Abstract

A terahertz time-domain spectrometer is employed to study different birefringent samples. We develop a method based on the temporal waveform and the impulse response of a sample to map the anisotropy of their inner structure. To validate our algorithm, we study the polarization-affecting structure of various classes of materials such as crystals, plastics, and natural products. Among all samples we observe the largest birefringence for a rutile crystal with Deltan=3.3 at 1 THz.

Publication types

  • Validation Study

MeSH terms

  • Algorithms
  • Anisotropy
  • Birefringence
  • Crystallography / instrumentation
  • Materials Testing / instrumentation*
  • Materials Testing / methods*
  • Models, Theoretical
  • Terahertz Spectroscopy*