Abstract

Many laser applications require propagation of high power radiation through transmissive optical elements such as Faraday isolators. Absorption of laser radiation in the optical element leads to not only thermal lensing but also self-induced depolarization, resulting in a limitation of the maximum isolation ratio.^1,2 The spatial nonuniform distribution of temperature causes two effects contaminating laser polarization: temperature dependence of the Verdet constant and linear birefringence due to the photoelaslic effect of thermal stress. The last phenomenon is more efficient for most magneto-optical materials^1,3 and hence limits the isolation ratio.

© 2000 Optical Society of America