Abstract

The availability of circularly polarized synchrotron radiation in the soft x-ray region has in recent years stimulated many new experiments in this energy region. Essential for all experiments is the exact knowledge of the degree of circular polarization. So far only a few attempts were made for a complete determination of the full Stokes vector describing the state of polarization in this energy region. Due to the lack of suitable phase shifting elements conventional reflection optics and multilayer reflection optics can be used only up to approximately 100 eV /1-3/. Multilayers used in transmission were shown to provide a significant phase shift between the s- and the p-polarized components even above 100 eV /4,5/. At 100 eV a perfect quarter wave plate of Mo/Si has been reported /6-9/.

© 1994 Optical Society of America