Abstract

The formalisms of the Mueller calculus and the Poincaré sphere are applied to the photoelastic problem and a general intensity method for measurement of stress-optical constants is derived. This general method overcomes certain limitations of some of the existing methods and hence is about ten times more sensitive. The power of the new method is indicated by utilizing the frozen stress in a specimen for dispersion measurements without externally stressing it. We have measured the stress-optical dispersion of fused silica and calcium fluoride by this technique, over the range from 250 to 580 mμ.

© 1968 Optical Society of America

Intensity Method for Stress-Optical Measurements: Stress-Optical Dispersion of Single-Crystal NaF

T. N. Vasudevan and A. J. Michael
J. Opt. Soc. Am. 62(3) 344-347 (1972)

Optical Measurements on Liquid Metals Using a New Ellipsometer

T. E. Faber and N. V. Smith
J. Opt. Soc. Am. 58(1) 102-108 (1968)

Errors of Measurement of Flow Birefringence by the Sénarmont Method*

C. A. Hollingsworth
J. Opt. Soc. Am. 58(12) 1581-1585 (1968)

Magneto-Optic Kerr Coefficient Relationships and Measurement of the Kerr Coefficient

W. Swindell
J. Opt. Soc. Am. 58(11) 1456-1458 (1968)

Interferometric Method for Measuring the Thermal Expansion of Small Samples of Optical Materials*

Stanley S. Ballard, James Steve Browder, Hoyt M. Kaylor, and John L. Streete
J. Opt. Soc. Am. 58(2) 155-159 (1968)