Properties of a variable-delay polarization modulator
Abstract
We investigate the polarization modulation properties of a variable-delay polarization modulator (VPM). The VPM modulates polarization via a variable separation between a polarizing grid and a parallel mirror. We find that in the limit where the wavelength is much larger than the diameter of the metal wires that comprise the grid, the phase delay derived from the geometric separation between the mirror and the grid is sufficient to characterize the device. However, outside of this range, additional parameters describing the polarizing grid geometry must be included to fully characterize the modulator response. In this paper, we report test results of a VPM at wavelengths of 350 μm and 3 mm. Electromagnetic simulations of wire grid polarizers were performed and are summarized using a simple circuit model that incorporates the loss and polarization properties of the device.
Additional Information
© 2012 Optical Society of America. Received 5 July 2011; accepted 1 August 2011; posted 7 September 2011 (Doc. ID 150185); published 10 January 2012. This work was funded by a NASA ROSES/APRA award. M. Krejny was supported by Graduate Student Researchers Program grant NNG05-GL31H. H. Hui was supported by an Undergraduate Student Research Program grant at Goddard Space Flight Center. We would like to thank G. Voellmer for his work on design and construction of the VPMs. We would also like to thank R.F. Loewenstein, C.Walker, C. Kulesa, C. Y. Drouet d'Aubigny, and D. Golish for their work on Hertz-VPM. We thank Roger Hildebrand for the use of the Hertz cryostat and Bob Pernic for critical cryostat repairs during the laboratory testing. We also thank the anonymous reviewers whose comments have helped to improve the paper.Attached Files
Published - Chuss2012p17095Appl_Optics.pdf
Files
| Name | Size | Download all |
|---|---|---|
|
md5:cc475c1c182add6a10e6eff4889abc88
|
754.1 kB | Preview Download |
Additional details
- Eprint ID
- 29242
- Resolver ID
- CaltechAUTHORS:20120210-140021414
- NASA Graduate Student Research Fellowship
- NNG05-GL31H
- Goddard Space Flight Center
- Created
-
2012-03-13Created from EPrint's datestamp field
- Updated
-
2021-11-09Created from EPrint's last_modified field