Infrared material property measurements with polarimetry and spectropolarimetry

Polarimetiy and spectropolarimetry are optical measurement techniques which use polarized light to obtain electrooptical material property information. These techniques are being used to make measurements on infrared electrooptical materials. Infrared materials of interest are those which find use in two dimensional modulators, i.e. optical picessing applications and infrared scene projectors. Polarimetry measurements are made at one infrared wavelength at a time using laser sources. Spectropolarimetry measurements are made over an entire infrared spectral region, e.g. 2 to 14 tm. A Fourier transform infrared spectrometer is the source of radiation in this case. The Mueller matrix formulation can be used to describe the polarized light and its interaction with the sample and measurement system optics. A Mueller matrix of the sample can then be obtained from a series of measurements with different input polarization states. The sample Mueller matrix contains information on the polarization properties. Electric fields are imposed on the sample as optical measurements are made. Fundamental constants associated with the sample material can be derived from the measured Mueller matrix elements.