A unit structure Rochon prism based on the extraordinary refraction of uniaxial birefringent crystals

Abstract

Based on the Fermat's principle, the universal theory of refraction and reflection of extraordinary rays (e-rays) in the uniaxial crystal is formulated. Using this theory, a new unit structure prism is designed, and its properties are studied. Based on the theoretical results, such a prism is achieved experimentally by using the Iceland crystal. In both theoretical and experimental studies, this new prism shows excellent polarization splitting performances such as big and adjustable splitting angle, comparing to the conventional Rochon prism. For the sample prism with the optical axis angle of 45°, the splitting angle reaches 19.8°in the normal incidence, and the maximum splitting angle reaches 28.44° while the incidence angle is -4°.