Compensator
Revision as of 12:30, 27 April 2013 by (username removed)
Description
In an optical system, a compensator is an arrangement for measuring the phase difference between two components of elliptically polarized light. This is accomplished by placing an anisotropic substance of known retardation, such as two quartz wedges mounted at right angles to each, in the beam path at a 45 degree angle to the vibration directions of the polarizer and the analyzer.
See also red first-order red, wave plate quarter wave plate, and wedge quartz wedge.
Synonyms and Related Terms
Kompensator (Deut.); compensateur (Fr.);